Kung Fu Panda - The Alternate World
by funkydude24
Summary: A failure happens in a parallel universe experiment, causing four humans to teleport to the world of anthropomorphic animals. Making relations with the Five and Po, the humans will now have to face the fate awaiting them, with the Dragon Warrior by their side. The happy times flow but the smooth flow would soon be trembled by the shakes as foretold by Shifu to the Dragon Warrior.
1. Chapter 01: Prologue

**01: Prologue**

Almost a month had passed that their valley of anthropomorphic animals had now grown accustomed to those four human beings namely Fulvio, Artur, Daniel, and Kayson, all with the age 18 and 19. It was all a result of the an experiment caused in the human world at the laboratory of Kayson's father that not only trapped Kay and his best and only friend Daniel but dragged down the other two chums Fulvio and Artur as well who were just passing by after the school, just like normal days.

Somehow, though so much away from the area of experimentation, instead of the scientist to be sent to the other universe for them to collect some info on the alternate universe theories, those four guys with no intention of leaving their comfort zone were sent!

A tragedy or something else…?! It sure was going to change the fates in a way never expected.

"C'mon guys!" Po whispered as the first glimpse of sun touched his eyes and woke him up. "Wake up! It's gonna be training time soon!" The two humans, Fulvio and Artur, were sleeping peacefully, covering the chubby panda from both sides, enjoying the warmth of his fur.

"I don't wanna train today!" Fulvio muttered in his sleepy tone almost dead. For he was a little fat and healthier, unlike his school friend who was the opposite, Fulvio let loose his half body, covering almost half of the panda's furry body. Them both sleeping beside the panda had now become their daily routine for the two loved the warm and plushy fur acting more like a good-night blanket. And Po himself loved that as well!

"Come on, guys! It's getting late!" Po rubbed the two heads with affection and then got up. And with him getting up, it was as if both the bodies had their souls returned back for in an instant, the two got up as well!

"Whhhhyyyyyy do we have to get up so early?" Artur asked with a prolonged yawn.

"So that we can go back to sleep earlier, idiot." Fulvio remarked. "Now, get up already!"

Meanwhile, in the attached room of the barracks, the other two humans, Kayson and Daniel, just got up from the alarm (that was the noises made in Po's room). Daniel stretched out to have some fresh air. "Man! This world sure is amazing! No school, no study, no worries, no nothing! Just having a good time as a free loader and amazing people!"

Daniel seemed pretty much excited about everything but his friend stayed down on the ground, unenergetic and uninterested, having his solemn gazes stuck on the roof above. "I dunno what got you so much interested in this screwed-up world."

"Screwed-up?!" Daniel said. "This world, it's just… amazing! I hope I can live here forever! Whatever, just get your butt up and get ready..." and then mumbled with himself, "though you're still only gonna watch us all climb the stairs up and down."

"Mm-hmm." His friend answered quietly still looking up at nothing. "Sure." Those two best buds were the complete opposites; one being cold and dark while the other so full of life.

Soon, everyone at the Jade Palace got prepared and started the day with going down those hundreds and thousands of Jade stairs which they all were also meant to climb up back again. This was not only their morning exercise but their warm-up for the rest of the training as well. While everyone left, Kay stayed alone, sitting there and gazing at the whole valley with those cold eyes of his.

Everyone climbed up with Po and Fulvio panting and wheezing as if all of the air had been blocked. With all the six warriors and the four humans now in the great training hall, the training was about to begin!

As Master Po was their teacher now, he had to take the lead. "Today, unlike the rest of the normal training, we're gonna do a little different!" The panda master walked with sternum outstretched, feet pressing hard, and voice so heavy for he knew his responsibility and was solemnly stuck to it. "Everyone here will choose the opponent and will fight him or her in a battle! It will not only show the strength of the winner but the weakness of the… uh… not-so-winner and then we will concentrate more on that weakness to turn it into strength! So, who's up for this?"

Everyone appeared so charged up and ready except for Kay who turned back, mumbling out of boredom, "Keep me outta this." but his only friend grasped his hand. "C'mon, Kay! Don't do this! For my sake! Pleeeease!"

How could Kay just roll his eyes over that begging expression of his only friend? Against his own will, Kay sighed, "Okay!" and then stood again with them.

"So," Po continued, "let's start this with our human friends!" His eyes fell on Artur who was looking around, unaware of the situation but as Po called him out, Artur startled at once.

"Who do you wanna fight with?" Po asked, so full of excitement.

"Uh… Y-You!" Artur answered nervously a little.

"That's great!" Po replied. "So who's nex—"

"No! I wanna fight with Po!" A sudden voice rose! It was Fulvio standing beside Artur.

"Po asked me first!" Artur ranted.

"No! I said I will fight with him!"

"No! I will!"

"I will!" and like that, both of them were tangled in a quarrel with Po trying to stop them with incomplete words but no effect! Everyone there looked at them with those weird eyes.

"Well," Dan mumbled to Kay, "they both sure love Po so much."

"And you, Dan?" Kay asked out of nowhere that shook Dan. "Do you love that panda?"

"When I have an idiot like you, why do I have to love someone else?" Dan replied, those eyes growing wider and funnier at Kay.

"Daniel!" Po shouted immediately that caught Dan in everyone's sight. "I'll fight with Dan!" It was all just to stop the argument between the other two, but it left them in the fire of anger against Po.

"I'm not gonna talk to you!" Simultaneously, both roared at Po, and the panda felt himself guilty for everything and sorry for the two guys.

"Yes! A match with Po! Amazing!" Dan was excited for the match against Po.

"So this is your love for me, huh?" Kay asked, his manner mildly funny.

"N-No, no! I'm just… I'm just pretty warmed up, y'know!" and that made Kay giggle gently.

"Okay!" the panda cleared his throat. "I will decide all the fighters myself: Dan will be fighting me. Artur will be fighting Viper. Fulvio will be fighting Mantis. Kay will go on with Tigress. And Mantis and Crane will battle each other! Any questions?"

"Hey, Master Panda!" Dan spoke, his hand raised high."

"What?" Po asked tenderly.

"What will the winner get?"

"Well, the victory itself is a great prize, I think!" and then asked again, "Any more questions anyone?"

The same hand rose again, "Shall we be training as normal after the battles?"

"Uh… yep! Anyone el—"

"What will we have in dinner?" the same voice that annoyed the humble panda a little.

"Ugh! I don't know! No more questions!"

"Oops! Sorry!" That cute, angry face made Dan slightly giggle.

"Okay! Now, let the tournament begin!" and with the panda teacher's roar, the battle began with Po and Daniel standing against each other in their battle stance in front of the giant entrance door of the hall while the rest watched them, standing aside, wondering who would win.

Standing fixed in his own improvised stance, Po mumbled to his opponent, "Fear me!"

"You'll go easy on me, right?" but instead of a 'Yeah', Dan just received a devilish giggle that scared the poor guy even more.

Staring into each other's eyes, one with hesitation and the other with confidence both thrust at the opponent. An unconfident punch came straight from Dan that Master Po could not only dodge but grasped the hand and bashed gently the body on the floor!

Groans came out that frightened Po a little. Forgetting the battle, the nervous panda went straight to check whether he was okay or not. "Hey, you alright?" but an unexpected kick on the forehead and the panda stumbled with a low groan. "That was dirty… but AWESOME!"

"I love playing dirty!" that human got up, a low smirk on the face.

The panda got up, speeding so fast that Dan didn't even realize when that foot came rushing from aside! At the last moment, he luckily saw that kick and leaned back, dodging the blow only by little. Another blow came with a rushing fist but Daniel dodged that as well in his own foolish way. Though scared a little and unconfident, he still was doing great, especially with the dodging part. Only a few moved he learnt from the same panda were not enough against the same opponent.

Watching the fight (that appeared to be more of an entertainment) everyone was pretty much interested thinking how that all would end. From everyone's perspective, it was clear that Po had the upper hand and would easily win, but the panda was taking it easy on his friend.

Just like before, Po was trying to hit but missed by few inches. Daniel was constantly being pushed back by those punches and kicks that assured that victory for Po that suddenly, with those irregular movements, Dan slipped and his foot went straight, hitting Po's _tenders_ so hard that the poor guy was knocked out at once, with a last groan, "My tenders!"

Those faces so interested, except for the solemn one having a little smirk, turned so surprised, eyes out and mouth hanging!

Watching all the gazes stuck on him, Dan giggled, "I guess I… won, right?"

"Someone call an ambulance!" Fulvio murmured, but his friend, Artur, suddenly rushed to his loving friend, anxious about him. "Po, are you alright?!"

Holding the weak spot with hand to minimize the pain, the panda slowly raised his head, giving a painful smile. "Y-Yeah, buddy!"

Soon, after his recovery, the second match of Fulvio against Mantis was about to start. The victory for the first match was surely given to Daniel.

Now, the second fight.

Mantis was all prepared, standing in his little Praying Mantis style, but Fulvio on the other hand was still angry for why Po didn't let him fight with him, standing normal.

"You ready or not?" Mantis asked his opponent.

"Why am I the only one to fight this lil' green guy?!" his angry face towards Po. Just a nervous giggle in return.

Mantis appeared a little irritated with that 'Little Green Guy 'thing so when Po shouted, "Let the battle begin!" swiftly, the little master came with Fulvio not noticing at all, and then how the little master shot the big guy here and there, on the pillars and the door, and then on the floor, sweeping the poor guy on the ground so fast that Fulvio did not even realize how many hits he got! Only groans and whimpers could be heard from that spinning mass.

What seemed to his own eyes was the world moving around incredibly fast! The popped-out eyes of the spectators were slipping here and there, rolling around, not focused.

At last, after enough of spinning and hitting, Mantis threw him up high, shouting, "This is what you get for calling me Little Green Guy!" and then was about to announce his victory himself that from up above, the mass fell, crushing and knocking out the little master!

"Wh… What just happened? Who won?" Unaware of the reality, Fulvio asked, shaking his head.

"You… idiot!" His chum replied, everyone amazed!

"Really?"

"Yeah!" a suppressed sound from somewhere that made Fulvio wonder who it was. "Now get up from me! I'm dying!" the realization of some movement from beneath. When Fulvio got up, he found Mantis badly pinched up.

"Oh! My bad!"

"Okay!" Po shouted. "Time for the third battle! Artur versus Master Viper!" and so, the fight started.

Both the fighters ready, but Artur not confident in his stance.

"Oh! Don't worry, brother. I won't be like others." Viper said, her voice assuring. Her kind smirk was a proof but still, Artur had some signs of fear crawling on his face.

"Let the battle begin!" Po shouted at once, excited than usual!

"Wow! He's just so much into it, isn't he?" Dan mumbled to his friend. Kay giving positive answer under his tone.

So, the match started. Artur slowly moved by inches, his trembling eyes stuck on the calm master standing still in her place. Gently, she moved a little that alarmed her opponent at once. He was afraid to pick the first attack, thinking he might die if he did so.

No one knew what sort of fear was present in that tender heart that wasn't allowing him to fight. Everyone just wondered what would happen next. He stood just like that; in his trembling stance half correct, not even sure himself what sort of attack he was going to pick. Those toes just kept dragging him little by little. With that sort of fight having no twist and turn, and not even any action at all, everyone now seemed getting bored.

"Come on, man! Make a move! Do some kicking and punching!" Daniel cried out of boredom.

"You can do it, pal!" Fulvio tried to him his friend with his words but that doesn't seem to work either.

"He's just pathetic." A low mumble made Fulvio's temper high. It was no one else but Kay.

"What did you say?!" Pretty annoyed, Fulvio asked.

Kay leaned and spoke it again in his face. "That Artur guy, your friend, he's just pathetic."

Those words really made Fulvio furious. "Not a single word against him!"

They both got everyone's eyes on them as they all wondered what was going on. Po was about to come and stop as the two caught his eyes but Daniel appeared out of the blue, distancing Kay. "C'mon! Don't be such an idiot! Just enjoy the fight, man!" and those words did some work, making things normal again but Fulvio was the last to mumble something under his breath.

"Well, as compared to the match, that was a little interesting!" to his fellow Master Crane, Monkey mumbled.

"That was not so funny, Monkey!"

As the two fighters finally focused back again on the fight, Artur finally jerked forward, shooting down his leg on the opponent but Viper climbed over it, throwing the poor guy upside down, smacking him on the floor, hence gaining victory! It all happened in a few moments!

Artur didn't get up as was beaten a little.

"Hey, are you alright? Did I go a little harsh?" In her kind voice, Master Viper asked as she was a little worried.

"Yeah!" the human nodded, trying to get up. "I'm good. You weren't harsh at all! I was a little weak, I guess. By the way, you fight great!"

"Oh! Thank you!" and both smiled at the end, returning to their place.

"Don't worry, my little buddy!" The panda said as he pinched Artur's cheek out of affection that hurt his friend slightly but he chuckled. "You did your best! It was awesome!"

"As I said: Pathetic." The bad one mumbled again, but inaudible enough to let only Daniel hear it.

"Come on, Kay!" but a giggle was sent in return to that irritated friend.

As Po announced, the next match was that of Kay against Tigress. Both got onto the field. Tigress was all solemn but the disturbing, low grin on Kay's face as he watched her stance confused her.

"Fighting you will be a pleasure." Kay delivered the words before the match started.

"I hope so." Her reply, and she got stiff in her stance while Kay standing straight and loose as if in no mood to fight, right hand half pocketed.

"Po, whatcha think who's gonna win?" Dan's face was showing that he knew the after-results of the match!

"Well, Tigress is the only one I've never defeated in a spar. My vote surely goes for her!"

"You'll be surprised then!" and a naughty giggle!

"I… sure am expecting something surprising from her." The panda looked confusingly at Dan after that giggle.

"Both sides ready!" the heavy voice of the panda echoed throughout. Tigress tightened her base and her fists, stretching her waist back, Kay still calm, having that faint smirk stuck on lips. "FIGHT!"

With the word echoing everywhere, Tigress was about to shoot at the opponent that all of a sudden, a boom and dead silence!

Something stopped Tigress! She didn't understand what happened! Everyone's eyes were popped out totally and mouths hanging loose except that of Dan who had still that naughty giggle, showing his teeth.

Among the dead silence, when Master Tigress saw clearly, her ears twitched! Her opponent was right in front of her eyes, his hand on her shoulder and knee gently touching the tough stomach as if he was about to bump. All of it happened within a blink!

This was enough for everyone to be surprised and to know the real power of the solemn-faced guy. The match, before it even started, had already been decided.

"Told ya, didn't I?" Daniel nudged Po who was still open-mouthed—greatly astounded! "You'll be surprised."

Kay walked away with the same faint smirk and stood alongside his only friend, leaving orange-furred Tigress behind in wonders.

After the results were announced by the panda and weakness and strength were now known, the rest of the day till the noon was spent with some light training that included running, stretches, push-ups, chin-ups, stances, weight-lifting, wall-punching both in the interior and the exterior of the training hall. The rest would train while the solemn one would just watch them with no interest, sitting aside.

After enough training and exhaustion, Fulvio and Artur left with their best pal, the panda, along with Monkey telling jokes, and Mantis sitting on Po's shoulder, down to the valley, chit chatting all the way about the human world, while the rest of the two humans stayed, along with Master Crane in the Hall of Heroes, observing one thing and another.

The two remaining masters, Tigress and Viper, were having girl-to-girl talk in the barracks, but it was about some serious issue.

"What do you think what kind of person is he?" Tigress asked in her serene tone.

"You mean Kay?" Viper asked gently as ever, but low enough so that only the two could hear. "He seems… uh… serious and less talkative. Sometimes, I think whatever he does, like trying to clash with Fulvio back then, he does it on purpose."

"On purpose?" her furry ears twitched at once.

"Yes. Maybe, he's up to something."

"Something, huh?" Her blaze-glowing eyes fell on the shoulder where Kay had put the hand, and a glimpse of their past fight flashed in her mind, that smirk pretty focused. "From that smile," she mumbled, "it did not seem so." her mind dissolving into those thoughts.

"THIS IS SO AMAZING!" Daniel cried out and his voice bounced in the Hall of Heroes as all those ancient artifacts glowed in his big eyes of wonder.

"It sure is!" Crane assisted, walking beside him, telling him about the history of each artifact.

"Can I… Can I touch anything?! Can I have one?! C'mon, c'mon! Tell me!" Excited, just like the panda of the palace, Daniel asked.

Observing the Great Master Oogway's painting, Kay replied in his cold voice, "Go on and touch anything. And I'll crush you down to crumbles. You know how much I have respect for stuff like this, right?" but even the cold words couldn't stop that ultimately excited guy and now he was about to touch that mended Urn of Whispering Warriors with those shivering that Crane suddenly stopped him. "No touching! You'll break that Urn of Whispering Warriors!" The master kept dragging the guy against the will, mumbling under his breath, "Po broke it twice."

"Then I must break it once more and make it thrice! How about that?" Crane sighed, "Let me show you the next one." and kept forcing the boy.

Down there, the three masters with the two humans by their side were enjoying Mr. Ping's noodles in the busy restaurant, slurping the soup and gulping the dumplings.

"Seiously," Fulvio said while chewing on a dumpling, "No matta… how many times I come here…" gulping "the taste to all the stuff here remains just delicious as ever!"

"Yeah!" Artur said, slurping the last strip. "Every time I come here, it's all always as if it's the first time eating here! I wish I had a stomach like you, Po."

The gentle giggle escaped as the panda tapped his furry tummy. "Yeah! You surely need this guy for my dad's cooking."

While Po kept talking, Monkey nudged Artur gently, showing him something with that naughty giggle. As the talking panda so unaware put down his bowl of hot soup, it was stealthily stolen by Monkey and exchanged with his own empty bowl in a flick.

The panda soon picked up the bowl again without giving it a watch, and lipped it but nothing flowed into his mouth except a brownish drop that barely kissed his lips. "What?! Where did my—" and the naughty giggles foretold him everything. "MONKEY!" and now, outburst laughing.

Raising slowly the bowl to the lips, Monkey said, "Just as always, it was quiet easy to make a fool out of you, Po!" The panda gave him an annoyed face that made him look even cuter.

"But be careful." Little Master Mantis said among the chuckles. "People around can make fool outta YOU, Monkey!"

"Huh! There's no one here more quick-witted than m—Wait a sec!" but his bowl was empty as well! "Who did that with me?!"

"One person around even more quick-witted than you!" Startled! Everyone looked at that guy. It was Artur now slurping the bowl of the panda friend."Mmm! It's brilliant!" and now, everyone laughed again, Monkey irritated.

The irritated master was about to snatch the bowl but missed and Artur gulped down all of the soup quickly and fled out of the restaurant with Monkey chasing him, leaving the rest laughing.

"I've never wondered we'd get so much along together! It's really great!" Fulvio spoke with the last of his giggles.

"Hey, tell me how the two of you became friends." Po asked.

"Wow! A sudden question outta nowhere!" Fulvio replied.

"Y'know, watching you guys so close makes me wonder. Always!"

"Now that you've asked it, I'll tell you," said Fulvio. Po was excited to know, leaning more close, his eyes big and cute with the lamp light reflecting. Mantis on the other hand had the rest of his senses to his tofus but had his ears to Fulvio. Fulvio began:

"So, Artur and I had been friends since four years in the same school. Artur was a lil' afraid but I went and talked with him. He used to eat alone in breaks. I really did felt bad for him being alone. Seniors would try to eat his lunch sometimes. They even tried to bully him many times as well!"

"Really?!" The Panda asked with a jolt, so full of worries and sympathies. "What did you do then?!"

"Well! Artur never fought. Uh… So being his friend, I did protect him!"

"Oh! That's good!" Mantis spoke.

Fulvio continued, "Yeah! And how those two years slipped away with our growing friendship, we didn't realize! Finally, got stuck in here… but I'm glad! I'm really, really glad to have you guys as friends here!" All those memories left a faint grin on his face.

"Awww, what a cute story!" blinking his big, cute eyes twice, Po said, but another question disturbed him suddenly. "Oh! I also wanted to know… what is wrong with Kay. Y'know, he's always like… cold and dark! Both he and Dan were in the same class as you, right? Tell me something about them!"

"Oh! Kay and Dan!" Fulvio said. "The two were best buds since I came. I always watched both of them having fun and stuff. Almost every time!"

"Really?!" Po was surprised.

"Yeah!" They were known for the liveliest guys in the class! They laughed and chuckled, making everyone chuckle! The two were friends with almost everyone at the campus."

"Was Kay really like that?" Asked Mantis after a sip.

"Yeah! He actually DID use to laugh, and make others laugh! Just about three months from now, I dunno what happened with him but then, he turned… bad." and the negative word grew sadness on everyone's face.

"That's… sad!" said the downhearted panda. "But why is he only around Daniel?"

"It's 'cause Dan was his very first friend. He's a really nice guy though. Y'know! Still, it's hard to believe he's Kay's friend."

"Yep!" finishing the last sip, Mantis said. "They both are like the two sides of the same coin. One's dark and dreary while the other is bright and cheerful."

"Po!" Fulvio said, a solemn expression on his face.

"Huh?"

"I haven't seen it myself but I've heard rumors that Kay knocked down 12 guys at once on his own. Many people at the campus said that we they've watched him go in dangerous places, fighting gangs of the city."

"Really?!"

"Yes. Po, I want you and the rest of the Five to be careful!"

In the panda's mind, a memory reflected all of a sudden; him being called by the wise Master Shifu.

 _"Po,"_ old voice of the wise master echoed _, "Sooner or later, the valley will be covered by the shadows of evil. The problem would be related to him. I want you to be careful."_

"I will be." Po replied gently to his human friend, with a faint smile. "You don't have to worry! I'm the Dragon Warrior, remember?"

Fulvio giggled. "That's fine then!"

No worries on the chubby face could be seen that a cry startled the moment suddenly. It was Artur, rushing to them, repeating, "She's coming! She's coming! SHE'S COMING!" throwing his entire body on the furry panda, panting.

"WHO?" simultaneously, the three asked.

"M-Mei Mei! It's Mei Mei coming for you again, Fulvio!"

"WHAT?!" Fulvio suddenly cried, getting up. "Just when on earth will that girl leave me?!" The other two friends giggled.

"I'm dying here and you guys are laughing?!"

"Not laughing!" Mantis said. "Actually, you two really suit each other, right Po?" and now laughs.

"Po and Artur, come with me and save my butt!" Fulvio said, almost outside now.

"And what about me?" asked the little Master.

"Today's money is on you." Artur said. "And when Mei Mei arrives, tell her that Fulvio had died."

"What?" Mantis asked, his little jaw hanging. "Clearly tell me what should I—"but it was too late for the three had already disappeared. "Oh boy! That's great!"

The green master had moved hardly a few paces that the lady panda Mei Mei arrived at the spot, panting. "Where… Where is that handsome human? Monkey told me he was here with you and Po."

With the confused face and nothing in mind, Mantis replied, "Uh… Umm… He died… literally." but got a cute, solemn face of the annoyed lady panda. "That's what Artur told me to tell you." but same cute, solemn face remained still that left a nervous giggle on the little, green face.

The night had arrived and everyone had now, just like most of the nights, gathered in one of the rooms in the barracks, sitting around one flickering lamp, exchanging their life stories. As usual, the only one missing was Kay who seemed to prefer loneliness more than gossiping and chit-chats.

As the young man sat outside the Jade's doors, watching the glimmers of the valley, inside, all the masters had already started telling their tales, criticism, jokes, and laughs.

"…and then I said 'Boo!'" and everyone laughed on the witty Master Monkey's joke, except Tigress who giggled a little. Sitting beside Dan, Viper asked, "Where is Kay? Doesn't he want to come and join us?"

"I asked that idiot like a thousand times!" replied Daniel. "He said it would be boring so he's just sitting out, feeling the air. Just forget about that idiot." Dan said it without caring a little. It was because he was the only one who knew his friend's nature.

"Hey Dan!" Artur called. "Remember the day when you locked someone else in the toilet, thinking it was Fulvio?" Everyone listened intently.

"Oh yeah!" Dan replied, his cheeks red. "That… That really was a great mistake in my whole life!"

"What happened after that?" fully excited, Mantis asked.

"I came out from the toilet next to the one he locked." Fulvio replied eagerly. "And his face was worth watching! His eyes were almost popping out!"

"That was totally crazy" Artur said, and everyone laughed again.

"Po," Tigress spoke, "Why don't you tell them how you planned on cooking rice by eating them raw and drinking boiling water after that?"

"What?! For real?!" Artur asked, easing on his shoulder. Everyone giggling.

"Well," the panda replied, eyes trying to hide from everyone, "That was not so good idea."

"Okay then," Monkey jumped in the middle, "Do you remember how I tasted your _cooked pants_ , thinking of them as hot soup?"

"What are you talking about, Monkey?" Daniel asked full of surprise.

"C'mon, guys! I had no basket or something to wash my pants!" Giggles and chuckles again in the room.

"Well, it did smell good unless you told me, Po!"

"Guys," said the irritated panda, "It's not only me in this room here! Get someone else to laugh on!" but there chuckles still stung in those black, furry ears.

It got a little late than schedule for everyone to sleep so one by one, everyone now left the room, going back to their own. The rest had entered their rooms and closed the paper-doors by now. It was Po walking back to his room with Fulvio and Artur by his sides, talking how much fun it was the whole day.

Entering calmly the barracks was the solemn human, Kay, walking straight, maintained. Fulvio saw him coming but seemed to ignore him as he talked his way through to the room. A few paces far, Po did ask out of friendliness how Kay was doing but the solemn face did not reply, just passing by. Whether mistakenly or on purpose, but the shoulders of opponents slightly bumped.

"Watch it, fatty!" roaring at Fulvio, Kay stopped at once.

"You better watch where you're going!" Fulvio reflect the same anger.

"What?!"Kay sniggered. "Even the fat-face can talk now!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Guys, GUYS! You don't need to fight." The panda tried his best to calm down the situation. "Besides, everyone's sleeping inside!"

"Huh! As if I really give a darn about that!" Kay roared, his voice guttural. "And I'm not concerned with you so shut up, panda!"

"You are no one to call him that!" Fulvio again, moving onwards but stopped by Po.

"Don't tell me you can fight." the solemn-faced guy again. By now, their voices had everyone wake up from their rugs and peek out for their curiosity.

"Kay," Artur spoke in his trembling voice, "You don't need to fight. It was j-just an accident. I'm sorry from Fulvio's side."

"You don't need to be!" Fulvio thundered at once. "I AM going to fight him!"

"Don't be an idiot!" Po stopped him suddenly.

"That's great!" Kay murmured, and then without a second thought, thrust at Fulvio, leaving his friend Dan behind, shouting to stop. Kay was almost there to punch Fulvio in the face but a hand interrupted, and a sound bounced in the barracks, the one like the releasing of cannonball from a cannon.

"No one touches my friends!" It was Po, now turned pretty solemn, totally opposite to the sweet and humble panda, grasping the strong fist. Watching Kay's fist almost near to touch his face, Fulvio realized that if his chum Po was not there, he would have had pretty serious damage. He startled and was surprised.

"What're you gonna do, panda?"

"I'll fight if needed."

A faint giggle inside, and now the fist of the bad one cracked, tightening into itself, but soon, it loosed as a gentle palm of his friend landed on Kay's shoulder. "Kay, we're going from here."

The Five came out, Tigress speaking,"You cannot leave like this, Daniel."

"No, I guess we can no longer stay here." Dan said, his anger-filled eyes glaring at Kay. That expression shook Kay a little for never in his life, Kay had seen his friend that angry.

"Get lost!" At once, Kay jerked off the hand on his shoulder that surprised Dan. "I don't need you to be with me. You better off your way. I better off mine. Don't need any sidekick anymore." And then those solemn paces took him outside the barracks, and then the Jade Palace.

All of them were totally astounded—wonder stricken and sad as well, especially Daniel who had his heart shattered. The night grew darker, and the rooms, quiet. That night, everyone slept with muddled thoughts of the incident. Po tried to talk to his friend Daniel to lessen the pain. Though a little, but the panda's chat did help in a peaceful sleep. Watching the face of the sad friend asleep, Po's heart melt and he gently ruffled Dan's hair. "Don't worry. Everything is gonna be okay!"

Somewhere in the valley on a high mountain stood Kay against the rushing, cold breeze; those solemn eyes perceiving the whole town, mainly the Jade Palace to the left. Out of a pocket, he drew a count-down watch counting down from 30:20, and then put it back inside, eying at the valley again with those cold eyes. "I wonder if I'd make that far."

What intentions does the eyes hold, no one knows. . .


	2. Chapter 02: Befriended Enemies

**02: Befriended Enemies**

"Uh… Can I come in?" Po asked, standing almost inside the room.

Daniel raised his head, a strip of noodle half hanging from his lips, hands having the bowl. "You already are inside." and then slurped the strip.

"So… uh… You alright now?" the panda asked, coming closer step by step, now sitting.

"Po," sadness from his face dripped down, "I'm eating right now. And I eat when I'm upset, okay? I'm sad for that idiot."

"Oh! I… I really am sorry for what I did with Kay. I didn't want to…"

"It's not your fault, Po. He was the one."

"Uh-oh! Where do you think he's gone?"

"I dunno. I… I don't really know."

"You…" Po was astounded. "You let him go without even knowing where he'd go?! The valley is filled with bandits!"

"He can protect himself better. You saw her fight with Tigress, didn't you?"

"Yeah! That was some serious fight!"

"I… I wonder if I'd get the chance to see him ever again." The sad expression grew sadder on Dan's face.

"Why? What do you- He's your best friend! Of course, you'll meet him pretty soon! Maybe sooner than you think!"

"That's not what I mean. He's… He's actually up to something."

"Something?" His ears twitched at once as the curiosity rose in that panda heart of his. "Like what?"

"I can't tell you that. I promised Kay that I won't tell it to anyone."

Po caught up on something. Daniel could judge with those faintly squeezed eyes thinking deep into something. "Shifu was right!"

"Master Shifu…?! About what?"

"He foretold that the valley would be covered with the shadows of evil! And also told it'll be related with Kay!"

"Really?! I… don't think so Kay's related to something _that_ dangerous! At least that's what I know…" and poor Daniel fell into curiosity, thinking deep about his friend who had left that night.

The next morning came as the sun rose up the horizon, all the warriors waking up and doing training as usual. While the rest were giving their time to different obstacles chosen for them by the Dragon Warrior, Dan was there, training by a wooden dummy; punching, kicking, dodging at his best, fully drenched in sweat and panting.

In the ground, little paces arrived calmly, without causing slight disturbance. It was Grandmaster Shifu observing everyone with those peaceful eyes. After a while, Po, the Dragon Teacher, having his chest out as usual and head raised, noticed the calm presence and startled. "Master Shifu!"

"How're they doing?" Shifu calmly asked, still observing.

"They Five? They're doing AWESOME as always!"

"Not the Five. Our human friends..."

"Oh! Well, Artur always tries great but is a little nervous in his trainings. Fulvio still needs to grasp the hold on his limbs. And Daniel…" both the Grandmaster and the teacher gave him the eyes simultaneously, watching him solemnly fighting that dummy. "Since last night, he's doing something I've never watch him do before. He didn't even sleep but stayed here, training."

"I need to talk."

"I'm all ears, Master."

"Not to you, Dragon Warrior. To Daniel. Tell him to meet me outside the hall."

"Oh! Okay!"

So, the flabby panda told Daniel to meet Shifu outside the hall. Daniel went and found the Grandmaster, waiting by the outside door, feeling the cold breeze of the valley.

"Master Shifu!" the human called, jogging and panting, face excited now. "You… summon me?"

"I heard you've been training all night."

"Uh…" Dan turned red, a little embarrassed of the fact. "Yeah! I was… sorta… making myself a lil' stronger, y'know. Po told me that the valley was full of bandits."

"That is true. But training out of anger, is not training. It's just filling yourself up with the fire that'll end up burning you instead."

Dan had no answer but to giggle nervously.

"The reason I called you is because I want to know about your friend who left."

"About him? What do you want to know?"

"Anything you can tell."

"Okay! He's an idiot. No, no! He's THE idiot; the idiot who used to smile and laugh once; the idiot who had feelings; the idiot with whom I have great memories; idiot who… who…" and again, the sad curtains fell. "…who was loved by everyone."

"Hmm… Interesting!" Shifu wondered. "But what turned him like that?"

"A great change…" his eyes stared into infinity. "…that I can't tell to anyone. By the way, how do you know Kay is related with some upcoming problem?"

"When Master Oogway foretold me about the escape of Tai Lung, I wondered that myself but now, I feel it." Closing those calm eyes and feeling the breeze gently kissing his fur, Shifu whispered. "I feel it in the air."

"You're such a Meme Master!"

"A master of what?" Shifu suddenly opened his eyes, question on his head.

"Never mind!"

"Well then, you can go now and train."

"Okay, Grandmaster! See ya then!" and he walked excitedly again.

"One more thing! Don't touch anything in the Hall of Heroes. We already have one Po in here."

"Wow!" Daniel stopped. "Did you feel that in the air too?"

"No. Crane told me."

"Oh! Haha!" he giggled at last. "See you, later!" and entered the door, leaving the master with a tender smirk.

"Hmm…" The lone Master wondered again. "A great change, huh?"

A few days passed. It was mid-day that the two masters- Monkey and Crane-along with the human Daniel, were travelling through the forest of bamboo on the track in the prickling sun.

"Seriously," Daniel said, shading his eyes with his hands from the sun, "I've no idea why Master Shifu sent me with you guys in this dangerous mission of beating down those bandits. He could've sent Artur or Fulvio. I'm dying already outta hunger!"

"Maybe it's because your fighting abilities are useful." Crane said.

"Or maybe because your fighting abilities are worth getting butt-kicked." Monkey teased, Daniel annoyed a little while Crane giggling.

"Ah!" Dan said. "That reminds me of how I kicked Po in the _tenders._ "

"That might've felt painful!" Monkey said as if he had felt the same pain.

"By the way," Master Crane spoke. "Monkey, don't you think it's strange that Master Shifu has sent us _towards_ the bandits without proper information? He could have given us some reason for doing so."

"Yes!" Monkey assisted. "Under normal circumstances, we would be fighting the bandits causing trouble somewhere but I see no sign of any trouble here."

While the two were talking, the human was listening with keen ears, now wondering in his mind, " _It's as if we are the one being targeted… but by Shifu! Why…?! Why would he go to such limits to target his own disciples? I see no good reason to that. If he were to check my fighting, he could've checked himself in the Jade Palace but-"_

"Daniel!" Crane called, bringing Dan out of thoughts. "You got anything?"

"N-Nah! Nothing special!"

"Anyway, as Shifu said, we must be aware of our surroundings. Anything can happen in here."

"Anything? Like…?" Dan asked, question on the face.

"Like—" Master Bird was about to answer that unaware of the surrounding himself, his thin legs got stuck into a loop /-of a rope that pulled him up high to one of those bamboo trees, his hat landing down.

"WOW!" Daniel was totally surprised. "I was expecting you'd tell me verbally but you did it practically, Crane! That's amazing!"

"It's not practical!" Monkey said, battle stance already taken. "We've been framed!"

"Framed?!" Now, the guy was astounded, looking around with those faintly squeezed eyes to spot the enemy. "By whom?!" but no reply! He looked at Monkey but a tranquilizer had knocked his friend out already. And then at Crane but the same result! "This is no fair! You guys left me all on my own!" Now, he was left alone in the forest of crickets chirping everywhere in the silence.

The boy was tensed more for his friends, little for his own life. Out of the blue, he found four unknown warriors standing in front of his eyes, each taking different stance, covered in black from top to bottom, difficult to understand what species were they but seemed more like red pandas for their height, structure, big ears, and the furry tails resembled Shifu.

"Seriously!" with an anxious smirk on the face, the lone human mumbled. "Are you kidding me?! One against four?!"

Dan looked around for something useful and found his bird friend's hat. He picked it up. "This might be of some help." and tried to search for the weakest point but couldn't. With a deep sigh then, he pulled back the hat, "Here's the Disk of Revenge!" and then released it at the four.

So unfortunate he was that his 'Disk of Revenge' floated loosely all the way around, passing by one of the warriors, and then softly touched a bamboo tree, falling down again. That much amount of embarrassment, poor guy couldn't face it so he facepalmed, trying to hide his face. "I should've died before that."

All the warriors then released at him all at once. Running from them, he dodged their flying kicks and punches by inch. Suddenly, he fell, and then got up, now backing pace by pace that one little warrior came, climbing swiftly his body and then kicked under his jaw, hurling the boy up high.

The other suddenly arrived from behind in the mid-air, delivering those loads of punches on the back that felt like hundreds of bullets, and then threw him at the ground with those hairs. Still in the mid-air, another suddenly appeared, shooting badly beaten Dan towards the other with his powerful kick in the face.

The last one now swooshed at the human, beating so fast all over that he seemed almost invisible, just the sound of his punches and kicks shelling over the poor guy. Finally, the one then tossed him up high again, and then from a certain height, Daniel fell, his body now all hurting, but no injuries so far.

"I…had no idea," Dan spoke to himself, his staggering legs helping him get up, and voice trembling. "That actual fighting hurts this much." He then closed his eyes and remembered the solemn face of his best bud. "Wish…you were here, Kay. It'd be a lot easier then." And another unexpected leg-blow came directly to his face, tossing him again on the ground as his groans exceeded the chirps of the crickets.

He gave a look to his friends, expecting some help, but they were still asleep like before. No other option was left, and his last hope was gone as well. Now, what was he supposed to do…?

In that dark time, a smirk appeared on the face, a smirk of mockery, but for whom?

Himself. It was for himself.

He got up one more time, talking to himself, giving those glares to the four warriors, "Reasons…why I don't fight? Just one: I get massively full of rage and can't contain it then. Kay, I wish you were really here…to stop me." And then he thrust at the enemies, shooting one of them already at the loads of bamboos with just one kick. The rest of the three fighters enclosed the human from all sides.

Throat rumbling, stance imperfect, and yet the blaze-filled eyes noticing every move. The three simultaneously attacked from each side, but the berserk human blocked those fists and kicks with that of his own. The three warriors were to land gently but the unleashed human did a roundhouse kick that threw the warriors in black away.

One of them was about to get up that a shooting kick under the jaw tossed that rodent-like warrior up high. And when he fell down, the cruel boy, now appearing to be the cruel master of the deadly Kung Fu, delivered another sharp punch directly on the chest so severe, cracking the ground below.

While this one was as good as dead, another appeared from behind but was soon caught in the glimpse of those blood-red eyes. The enemy was about to attack but even those fast moves seemed no match as Daniel clutched his throat on the first attack, now squeezing with his bare hand, choking that warrior who seemed poor and helpless.

To help his ally, the resting one came, shooting his kick at the insane target but Dan felt that presence as well and now threw the former enemy at the forthcoming one, both skulls striking violently, resulting in the near-death experience as they, too, knocked out.

The warrior from before who had been thrown on the trees got up, staggering and stumbling that the unleashed human grabbed him as well, whacking a few times on the ground with the intent to break it. The only warrior left had been knocked out too, just like his fellow warriors. But the burning rage inside did not calmed with that much of violence. He needed more to let it all out!

One direct fist to the face, and another, and then another… There was no stop to those beastly snarls. There was no one to stop…

The poor black warrior was about to die by those constant hits that suddenly a call stopped his fist right at the face, his eyes still overwhelmed by rage, teeth glaring at the enemy. Over his shoulder, the overwhelmed human gazed and found the rest of the people of the Jade Palace. Those astounded gazes had witnessed something they never expected, but Shifu, on the other hand, seemed calmed and solemn as he used to.

"Po," Dan panted, rage still vaporizing through the nose, "Don't even try… to stop me!"

"Dan," Po walked calmly onwards, step by step, "This is not the way. This is not how we fight. This is not the way of Kung Fu." As his friend, Po was tender towards him at that moment. No fear could be seen in his heart.

"This is MY WAY OF FIGHTING!" The human burst at once but it did not affect the friendly panda one bit. He kept walking to save his friend.

"If this is your way…" said the panda tenderly, "Then you wouldn't have saved Kay from that gang months ago, keeping your calm." Daniel startled. Po added, "You would've gone all-out on them, just like today."

His fist loosened as those surprised eyes lost all the blaze, and he collapsed on the ground. "Who…told you that?" his voice sounded gloomy and sad.

"Fulvio did." Po answered, and then asked, "Tell me, Dan. Why did you choose this way?" The rest listened, feeling the pain for the one.

"It is because…" Dan said, his accent changing. "It is because…I have no other family beside Kay." And that sentence shook everyone, including Fulvio and Artur whose eyes matched in wonderment!

"What?!" The panda, too, was surprised like the rest.

"Yes, Po." Daniel replied. "No one knows about it except Kay. He took double the money from his dad and paid for me in everything. More than friends, we were brothers. When I finally got my part-time job last year, I tried to manage on my own but he still helped me." The panda listened intently, wondering what might come forward.

Daniel continued, "I was the one who used to protect him in fights. I was the rash one always dragging him into my troubles, but I always fight calm and quiet, just like you until… until he changed. His behavior changed around everyone, and he became what you saw that day. Slowly and gradually, I started losing my only family and now…he's… gone!"

Those poor, damp eyes looked at Po, as if asking to help him in any way possible. There was no way the humble and loving panda could neglect the look. He sat beside, gently squeezed Dan's shoulder with affection, and then spoke with a smile, "Y'know? To be honest, I needed a brother!"

Those damp eyes started shedding tears and that human boy giggled, and then his giggles slowly turned into cries as he bowed down his head. Fulvio and Artur smirked too along with the rest now contented.

Po then wiped off those tears from those red cheeks and then patted him out of love. Shifu appeared in the meantime, saying, "Po, you're pretty good at this!" Po thanked him back. Shifu then turned to Daniel, "I presume you've defeated the rage inside of you."

"Yes!" Dan replied proudly, but something brought his face down again. "I'm sorry, master."

"No. I should be the one to apologize." Daniel wondered why. Shifu added. "I was the one who planned this whole plot of you fighting with these four Masters."

"WHAT?! Why would you?"

"I wanted to see how you fight, and wanted you to control your rage that you have finally overcome. And another thing why I did this was… that I wanted _him_ to come and wanted to talk to _him_ face to face."

"Him? Who?" Daniel asked but soon realized. "Oh! You mean—"but an interrupting kick came in the way from behind, shooting Daniel suddenly aside. It troubled everyone at once.

"Hello, brother!" from behind the dust, a silhouette appeared, unable to be seen with those squeezed eyes of the panda and the master. Daniel didn't know what happen in that instant, but when he got up, holding his hurting shoulder, those eyes saw the figure as the dust settled.

It was Kay!

"You!" Po got angry for his brother being thrown like that.

"The solemn and calm eyes of the red panda clashed with that of the cold human. "Tell me, what do you want?"

The dark soul remained quiet, with no intention to tell.

"They're not the one…" from aside came a voice. It was his former friend Daniel. "They're not the one you'd fight with." And Daniel stood in front of him, face to face, gaze to gaze. "Your fight will be with me."

A small grin appeared on the solemn face. "Very well! By the way, I do appreciate you defeating your own self, your anger."

"Heh!" Out of mockery, Dan giggled. "That's because of my brother Po. Something even YOU couldn't do in years!"

It didn't bother Kay one bit. He stayed as he was; calm and cold. For a while, the silence remained in the air, but then after a soothing whistle of the mild breeze that rustled a few dried leaves, the battle begun!

Both the humans thrust forward simultaneously but Kay got hold of the other one's shoulders and then delivered a knee-blow into the stomach that hurled him high, and then whacked him on the ground. It, of course, hurt him way much. Poor thing was holding onto his stomach, trying to relieve, but that barely did the trick.

On the staggering legs, painful stomach, he got up again, eyes containing anger—but no rage.

The clenched fist rushed to hit the target but the merciless human grasped it easily, throwing it aside, and then dealt some rock-solid punches on the front, ending up with a forceful kick on the right cheek that smacked the poor guy down to the ground. Watching his brother in pain, Po stepped forward but the little hand of the grandmaster stopped him.

"Po," the grandmaster mumbled, "Leave it to him."

"But Master—"Po insisted.

"No! It is up to Daniel how he overcomes his past. Not you." And the reply left the panda unanswerable. The rest, too, couldn't do a thing. All of them just watched with the anxious eyes. In their ears, the groans of the defeated one echoed. Hardly could they just stand and watch, doing nothing.

By now, Kay had beaten the poor guy to pulp. His clothes were torn from places, and body drenched in injuries now swollen. Again, Kay bashed Daniel on the ground. That one-sided battle had been decided.

Even still, after that much of pain, the body had some strength left. On that strength, Dan barely got up, but fell again to his knees, panting.

"So this," the dark soul spoke, head cocky, breast out, "Is what you've learned, huh?"

"I've…" the injured soul spoke, voice shaking. "I've decided..." There was no anger. Not anymore, but pain for the decision. "I…don't care about that _thing_ of yours. Not anymore. But don't worry. I won't tell it to anyone. Now, you can go and die somewhere!"

The dark one remained quiet. No expressions but blank face. He turned and was about to leave that Daniel stopped him with the final words, "There's one more thing. I've finally found him; my friend, brother, family…" and then those damp, painful eyes looked over his shoulder at Po having some gloom on the chubby face.

"I'm glad." The other human whispered enough to let his former friend listen to it, and then left quietly, soon becoming nothing more than a dot among those trees in Dan's eyes.

Friendship's wounds reach deep.

With almost no strength left, Dan fell to his arms, asking, "Guys, can we go back home now?"

Po smiled and half picked his friend up, "Sure! Let's go home, lil' one!"

"Thanks, big one!" Dan smiled, too, whispering, "Thank you, brother!"

After that, the injured masters were picked up and taken to the Jade Palace where they were healed by the little, green master. The little guy sure had a little trouble with that amount of people but in the end, everyone finished the day with a smile.

It ended peacefully for Dan had not only recovered from the wounds of the battle, but also from the wounds of his past. He had overcome his anger completely and now, each day for him was a happy day for he spent it with the inhabitants of the Jade Palace, his family, with pleasure doing fun as he always did.

While the days spent in the Jade Palace were fun, somewhere in the valley, the enemy was still alive, planning for something else this time. Covered in a dark, loose, coarse clothing that hid his whole structure, hard to be identified; those solemn eyes peeked from the dark within at the same count-down watch now having the numbers 24:14.

"Next target is. . . ."


	3. Chapter 03: Mutual Understandings

**03: Mutual Understandings**

"Hey!" A harsh call of his friend disturbed him from the peaceful sleep. "Wake up, Artur!"

Rubbing his eyes gently, he dozed off, "Whaaat happened? Why so early?"

"Early?!" Fulvio burst out. Mild sweaty, he was out of breath. "It's not… early, you idiot! I've just… come from all those… thousands of steps… just now!"

"WHAT?! Is it that late?! Where's Po?"

"Everyone's… in the training hall…waiting for you!" He gulped then. "Get your butt up now!"

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!"

Both rushed to their daily training then. There, Artur found everyone standing in the front, facing the gate. Po looked over his shoulder, finding the two gasping boys.

"You two, you're late!" He tried to stiffen both his face and his behavior as a teacher but that would make him even cuter and squishier. "Try not to do it next time!"

"Sorry, Master!" Artur said. "Won't happen next time!" and stood among his fellow warriors, hands joined to the back, chest outwards.

"Hey!" Fulvio got annoyed. "You sent me to bring Artur, Po!"

"Oh! Oops! Sorry!" Po apologized with giggle, and then the face turned squishier-rigid again. As he started giving the lecture before the training, Daniel, standing beside Artur, whispered, "Hey, wanna play Mahjong again tonight?"

A solemn side-glare replied to the question.

Dan nervously giggled. "I'll take that as a 'No'!"

Artur had his ears towards the words of the master panda that Dan whispered again, face straight at the teacher. "But it was fun last night how I beat you 20 times in a row!"

"And that's why I'm this late today!" Artur whispered, voice angry at his friend.

"C'mon! Just 5 matches tonight!"

"No!"

"Please…!"

"NO!"

"Please, please, please…!"

"I said—"

"I can hear some whispers! ~" The panda teacher suddenly spoke. "Hope, people today are not willing to have a two-hour of riding stance."

"Master Blaster, it was Artur asking me to play Mahjong tonight!" Daniel suddenly spoke out.

"What?!" It was Artur, pretty annoyed now. "Master Po, he's lying!"

"Both of you," Master Panda ordered. "Riding stance for two hours now!"

Daniel was left wide-eyed, mouth hanging, while Artur gave a glare to Dan.

While the rest were training according to the instructions of the Dragon Teacher, the two were standing beside the door, in the riding stance, legs already trembling.

"Why is this part always the hardest one?!" Daniel asked, face telling the pain, but Artur was still angry so he kept quiet.

"C'mon! Say a thing! I apologized earlier, didn't I?"

"No you didn't!" Artur burst in anger, forehead glowing with sweat.

"Really? Okay. I'm sorry! Is it a'right now?"

"NO!"

"Who's making the noise again?" The panda teacher suddenly appeared. His face was curious, unlike usual, as he was in his _Teacher Mode_.

"Po, you're not doing fair with me." Artur spoke to his chum. "I want to train!"

"Yeah! We both want to train." Daniel suddenly spoke in the middle. "Artur even asked for an apology. And I sure forgave him."

"WHAT?!" Artur was shocked for that terrible lie. "He's—He's lying, Po!"

"Lil' one!" A cute, angry look from the panda to Dan that made Dan giggle in shame.

"Po," Artur called again, tone like a stubborn child. "I want to train!"

"Okay, okay!" Po came near, whispering in their faces. "But it's only for today! If you do this tomorrow, I'll make it sure to punish you two."

"Thanks, Big one!" Dan gently bumped his fist on the furry shoulder and went to start the training.

Artur hugged him instead. "Thank youuuuu!" and then went, leaving a giggle on that chubby face. Po looked around, mumbling with himself, "Sure, no one's watching." But he found Tigress training to a side, smirking at his action which got a returning nervous smirk from the panda.

In the afternoon, at the table, in the kitchen, everyone was there except Po, having their bowls and plates facing them. Everyone around was talking and the air was friendly as usual. But Artur—he was glaring at his reflection in the bowl of soup and noodles.

"Hey," Fulvio nudged his friend. Why aren't you eating anything?"

Distracted from the call, he answered, "Oh! I'm waiting for Po."

"You should start eating, "Master Viper said. "Or it will turn cold."

"No worries!" the boy replied. "He'll be here any minute now. He said that he was just gonna read a scroll and then come soon."

In the while, Po entered inside.

As Fulvio saw, he threw a joke, "Think of the devil and the devil is here!" Everyone giggled slightly.

"Good one!" Po said, pulling back his chair and sitting beside his little friend Artur. "Hey! What's up, lil' fella? You haven't started yet?"

"Uh… I was waiting for you, Po."

"I told you, you shouldn't wait, right?"

"Y'know? It just doesn't… feel good eating without you."

"Oh! Is that so? Fine then! Let's eat together!"

"'Kay!" and the two best buds started eating together.

"Hey, Po! Since we came here, I haven't seen you fight." Artur asked.

"Don't you remember my match against Dan?"

"Well, he kicked you right in the tenders but… I mean the real fight. The real butt-kicking of the bad guys! Like how you defeated Tai Lung, or blew up all of those ships in Gongmen city, or… how you defeated that spirit warrior Kai with the Dragon Warrior's power!"

"I guess we'll have to wait for another big, bad guy to appear then." Po giggled.

"UGH! I can't wait that much!" Artur said.

Now, everyone was done with eating. After staying a little more at the table, one by one, they started leaving, managing their own personal work and stuff. Having nothing to do for the time being, Fulvio and Artur left to the valley while the rest of the masters were busy in their own chores. There the two were in Mr. Ping's shop, sitting around one empty table, talking over different matters.

"Hey, Fulvio!" Artur asked. "Would you like to stay here or go back to that world?"

"Well, the choice is pretty difficult." Fulvio replied. "I want to stay here. Everyone's so good and nice. But to be honest, I miss my family, too. It's been like month since I haven't seen 'em. What about you? Do you miss 'em?"

"Well… Uh… I do! I sure do! But you know, in this world, in Jade Palace, I actually feel like home. It's as if they're all my brothers and sisters, especially Po. I just… just feel protected around him." The mild face turned a little gloomy while Artur mumbled under his breath. "I wish he could take me as his brother, too."

"Wha-What did ya say?"

"Uh… Nothing, nothing—"

"'Sup, dudes?" from inside the house came Dan and sat with them.

"What're you doing here?" Fulvio asked mildly.

"Well, I was helping dad with some cooking stuff, y'know."

"Dad?" Artur asked, with no idea who Dan was talking about.

"I'm talking about whom you guys call 'Mr. Ping', remember? Po and me, brothers forever."

"Oh! Uh… Yeah, yeah!" Unlike the cheerful Artur, he seemed low now, both in tone and in face. "He's…He's your father, of course."

Fulvio seemed to notice and read Artur expressions and his inner feelings. But Mr. Ping came out in the meantime, with a tray full of rich bowls and plates with different eating stuff. After serving a few tables, he stopped by the three humans.

"Oh! How good to see you two again!" The goose said cheerfully.

"Good to see you too!" The two chums said together.

"How are the days at the Jade Palace going? Is Po teaching well?"

"'Course!" Fulvio replied. "He's really good at that."

"I'm glad to hear it!" Ping said. "By the way, what do you want to eat?"

"N-Nothing!" Fulvio answered.

"What? Really? I can't let the two of you go on empty stomachs. Daniel has his stomach stuffed already with loads of dumplings so you two should eat something too."

"It's—It's fine, Mr. Ping," Artur said. "I just wanted to sit here. I feel happy being here around."

"How good of you!" Ping then turned to his human son, "Son, would you pick up those sacks from the stock below."

"Dad," Dan replied. "It's heavy. I can't pick them alone. Wait—" and then he turned to Fulvio. "Hey, come and gimme a hand. Your physique is like Po so, I guess, you'd be able to pick them with me."

"Sure!" Fulvio replied.

"Want me to come too?" Artur asked.

"It's fine." Ping replied. "The two of them are enough."

"Okay." A small grin on Artur's face as he saw them go inside.

A while passed and the two didn't return. Getting a little bored, Artur got up and went out, wandering on the roads and in the streets. He and his friends had grown pretty accustomed to the valley now for everyday they wandered doing fun.

While wandering, he reached a dead-end of high rocks around where he found the astonishing sight of two crocodile bandits robbing a poor male lamb. The two had sharp axe in their hands, edges pointed at the neck of the helpless guy giving those few coins with the trembling hands.

Artur was pretty shocked with the scene, not knowing what to do. The idea of escaping came to his mind but his legs just did not move and he stayed still until the two watched him.

"Look what do we have here!" the fat one said, voice croaky.

"A pathetic human! He's one of those newbies of the Jade Palace!" said the tall one in guttural voice.

"Let's finish him off then, brother."

"Sure!"

While the two croc robbers stepped forward, the helpless one got the chance and the lamb got away, leaving Artur mouth-hanged, alone to the two.

"Hey! D-Don't—Don't come near!" Artur warned, but his face was clearly showing how afraid he was. He had his fists strengthened to fight but was not ready to do so.

"Oh! You wanna put a fight, huh?" the fat one asked, skin darker than his brother.

"I… I'm warning you. I will do really, really bad beating to you." The solitary human tried to scare his enemies off but his voice was shaky; no effect at all.

"Ooo…! I'm scared!" said the light-skinned one. "Let's go!" And then the two brothers together suddenly rushed after the boy, swinging their blades roughly. Artur dodged every attack just by inches, all thanks to the Kung Fu learnt at the Jade Palace. But he could not deliver a blow. His main goal was to flee from the place somehow.

On finding the place from where he entered to that dead-end, he sprinted at once but the fat one hurried, closing the path with that gigantic body of his. There was no escape now for the only way was closed. From behind, the other one stood as well, having a devilish grin on the face.

The human boy was pretty afraid. His fists were trembling, face all pale. He gulped down many times but that surely was not going to help at all. He could feel his heart beat violently, rushing to come out of the chest.

" _What am I gonna do?! What am I gonna do?! What am I supposed to do?!_ " Artur pondered, mind rushing with different thoughts of 'Doing' and 'Not doing'. " _Like this, I'm totally gonna get killed here!"_

At that moment filled with frights and fears, Artur shut his eyes, tension crawling all over the face. Only a few words could be mumbled by those quivering lips, "P-Please, help me, Po! Please…! Please, come here!" and as the frightened boy opened slowly his eyes, what he found really surprised him. He could not believe his eyes!

Po was already there, standing high and mighty over the bodies of the two. "'Sup, buddy?"

"P-Po!" Artur suddenly rushed and hugged his panda fella, tears to the brim of the eyes. Watching his friend frightened to death, Po, too, gave him a warm hug full of fur.

"I thought…I thought you'd never come and I'd die here!" Artur cried.

"'Sall fine, buddy! It's all fine!" Po ruffled his hair affectionately, trying to comfort his friend. "I'm here! I'll never let anything happen to you."

"You… You promise me?" His wide eyes let a few tears trickle down his glowing cheeks.

"Yes! I promise." Po whispered warmly as those chubby thumbs wiped off the glittering tears.

It was night now. After spending the whole day sharing the incident with the inhabitants of the Jade, and telling how the Dragon Warrior Po saved him from death, Artur sat beneath the Peach tree of Heavenly Wisdom, gazing far at the mountains covering the hazy moon.

As the breeze was cool and soothing, the young boy could easily sit, having his mind into different thought perhaps.

"Hey, bud!" Po appeared from behind the tree with that orange lamp glowing his cheeky face.

"Hey, it's you!"

"You fine now?" The panda sat beside, gazing at the same hazy moon.

"Never better!"

"That's good!" After a brief silence, Po spoke again, "I'm glad that I made it in time today."

"Y-Yeah." The human boy was gloomy a little about something. "But I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"I… I was useless . . . completely useless."

"Hey, come on! You weren't. You know Kung Fu, too!"

"I know but I… I can't fight! And that makes me angry… makes me hate myself!" Artur glared at his clenched fist as if he wanted to crush something inside of it out of anger, out of self-loathing. "I wish I could fight like Dan. I wish I could be in his place! I wish I could… I could be like him!"

"Why bother being like him..." Po giggled that caught Artur's wide eyes at him. "…when you can be like _YOU_."

"Wh…What do you… mean?"

"Y'know? All these years at the Jade Palace, I've learnt that the only best person I can follow… is myself." Artur still did not understand. Po further explained. "You see, everyone has its own path to follow. You follow others; you'll end up getting lost in the end."

"I guess I understand to some extent." Po smirked faintly. Fulvio continued, "But Daniel is happy with you and Mr. Ping. He is confident, and has family that supports him." There were questions on the panda's mind. Artur slowly got up mumbling in an upset tone, "Just leave it. I am pathetic after all."

Those chubby claws stopped Artur from fleeing. "Hey, R! What's the matter?" His panda friend was suspicious about something. "You don't feel right?" Po asked mildly, yet a little suspicious.

"It's nothing, Po. Just let go of me!" The human boy tried to take back his hand but Po wouldn't return it to him.

"I'm not," The panda insisted, "Until you tell me what's wrong."

"I told you, Po! NOTHING IS WRONG!" Artur ranted, throwing Po's claw aside that really surprised the panda!

"C'mon, buddy!" His panda friend calmly whispered in his face. "Tell me. We're best buddies, right?"

Quiet for a couple of moments, poor guy then fell down to his knees, weeping. "I hate Daniel! I hate you! I hate everyone! I should… A pathetic and useless thing like me should just die!"

"Hey, hey!" Po, too, sat down, raising his chin, warmly saying, "You're not pathetic. I've seen you train really hard! You are really awesome!"

"You don't need to comfort me, Po." Artur sniveled consistently. "I really hate it to see Daniel having such a nice family—having such a nice brother. He is even confident in everything. And look at me! I'm a total failure!"

Those sad words dragged Po down into the river of sadness as well. "But you have a family, too, right? Aren't you happy with them?"

"No, I am not!" Poor boy sobbed. "I just… I am not a good son!" Po wondered out of curiosity why Artur said that. The boy continued, "I cannot do a single thing correctly! Every time mom asked something of me, I messed it up! EVERY SINGLE TIME! Everyone at the home, everyone at the campus, they call me idiot, stupid, pathetic, weak!

"I could not fight for myself!" Artur said. "Fulvio was there many times to do so! I tried… I tried to stay calm and smile but… but… I couldn't do more than keep hating and afraid of them! That's all I'm good at!"

"You know?" Po spoke sadly. "I had been through the same stuff." Artur suddenly startled, looking up at the furry face, his own face now completely drenched in tears. "I know how it feels… being taunted, being laughed upon, and being hated. It all happened when I newly came here. Everyone at the Jade Palace made fun of me in different ways. But—but look now! I'm the Dragon Warrior!"

"You are the chosen one," Artur said in his broken tone. "And I'm not!" Poor panda had nothing to answer. "Just leave it, Po. No matter how hard you try, I'll always be nothing."

"C'mon, buddy. Stop it, will you?" the quivering lips of the panda asked; tone solemn; head bowed down. A tear dripped that absorbed into the ground! The drenched face of the boy was now surprised to see that. The panda slowly then raised his head. His furry face was all wet with his own tears. "Why are you giving me the same pain again?!" and then hugged his human friend, both shedding bursting into tears, sobbing together.

After letting all the tears out, Po looked into his face, wiping his friend's tears, "I understand… I understand how you feel! But I promise you that I won't let such thing happen to you again! I will always stand by your side! I will protect you and become your confidence! I will make you what you want to be!"

"Thank you, Po! Thank you very much…! Thank you!" Artur whispered. Now both looked at each other and smiled.

"You can call me your big brother," Po said.

"Mm-hmm," Artur nodded. "But why do you call me 'R'?"

"Well, that's the nick name I gave to you. You don't like it."

"No. I like it. I really, really like it!"

Now, both the best friends were happy and contented!

Far behind the peach tree down there was Daniel who came there for some personal work with Po and had now overheard the whole conversation. A low smile appeared on his face, too. He as well was happy for both of his friends. With the same tender smile, he left.

Except the three presences, there was one more—the same dark patch one in the glow; Kay who was standing on a tree nearby invisible to their eyes, covered in the same dark and coarse cloth fluttering with the breeze.

"His time is near. . ."


	4. Chapter 04: Drama

**04: Drama**

The same night.

Just as usual, there were robbers, thieves, burglars, bandits of different types and species—alone or in groups—minding their own business in a poorly lit inn somewhere in a deep forest. Everything seemed unusually calm inside while bets were won and lost in Mahjong.

The door creaked when some cold footsteps calmly entered. Standing in the middle was a guy completely covered in some coarse, rough cloth; the cold stare only visible through that half covered face.

"Who is the strongest among you?" the cold voice asked, getting everyone's attention towards its strange appearance.

"You've got yourself the worst night for thinking about me." One in a group stood up, face to face. It was the same big, fat croc defeated by the Dragon Warrior in the day.

"You strong?" the solemn voice asked again.

"You've got a problem hearing?!" The fat croc ranted at once. "I think you need my fis—"but the giant body was knocked out by a sudden hurl on the surface, cracking it. With the sudden flap of the cloth manifesting the hidden person inside, everyone got alarmed.

It was the same deadly person with the same serious, empty look on the face.

"I asked who is the strongest of all."

None dared to move a step forward.

As Kay turned around, his keen eyes saw a giant, strong fist coming to his face, but it was stopped at the moment just by his single, little hand as if it was nothing. Tilting his head aside, the boy saw that the strong fist belonged to a giant, one-eyed bull with curved, death-dealing horns.

" _Strength_ is what everyone calls me!" The ferocious bull grunted.

"Mr. Strength," Kay spoke solemnly. "I have an offer for you then. Work for me and rule this valley or die."

It made the bull angry. "Don't make me laugh on your pathetic jokes, miserable weakling!"

"Weakling?" the young one mumbled, and then clenched the fist in his hand strong enough that the bones started making weird cracking noises. It hurt the bull a lot as he cried from suffering.

"Stop—Stop it! STOP IT!"

Kay let go of the fist. "So this is all you've got, eh?"

"What are you?!" the bull grunted.

"Just a miserable weakling." Kay replied solemnly.

"A weakling?! Whatever. How are we supposed to take over the whole valley?"

"It's simple. Take down all the warriors of the Jade Palace and the rest is yours. By the way, everyone here, do they all work for you?"

"Why not! I'm the strongest in here." The cold gaze corrected his growling words. "I mean, I'm stronger than the rest in here."

"Good." Kay turned, leaving the place but stopped." Tomorrow night, we will take everyone down. And Mr. Strength, there's a skinny weakling named Artur. It's your duty to take him down. The job is quite easy."

"Understood."

"One more thing!" Now, his solemn voice turned loud, "Mr. Strength, as being the leader, if you failed, then everyone will see _my_ wrath!" and then the boy quietly left, leaving the whole inn in frightful silence.

The next evening, it was calm and quiet as usual in the Jade palace where everyone was either busy in its own work or having chit chats with the fellows. Po, Fulvio, and Artur were in the barracks, playing Mahjong, having fun times that out of the blue, Zeng appeared there all shouting and tensed, "BANDITS! BANDITS!"

Leaving the game in the middle, the panda asked suddenly, "Where?"

"In the…in the moon crater."

"Okay! You go and tell the rest while we head there!" and the three friends then left to administrate justice while Zeng flew to the rest of the warriors. As they crossed through the valley and the forest, many thunders roared and kept roaring in the blood-red, clouded sky showing that it was about to rain soon.

"The weather is terrible tonight!" Fulvio said; voice a little scary.

"I guess it's going to pour heavily soon." said Artur.

"Yeah!" Po added. "Seems so."

Among the horrible thunders and the whooshing gusts, the three managed to reach at the brim of a gigantic crater standing somewhere in the middle of the mountains. There, the bandit-thirsty eyes found the same two brother bandits; the crocs holding down a weary, old, and half-horned sheep to the ground, showing the blades again.

"These guys again?!" Po was surprised, and so was Artur.

"These are not the one to turn good, right?" Slightly annoyed, Artur asked.

"Don't worry. We'll have their butts kicked again in no time!" Po exclaimed with some excitement.

The warriors then rushed down to those bandits but the panda's paces were faster than the two. He already made it and kicked the heck out of the two bandits once again before they could make a move while his friends just kept watching with those wide, surprised eyes, hearing the sounds of his awesomeness!

Once again, the Dragon Warrior stood all high and mighty over the two bodies. "Huh! Quite easy breezy!"

"That was so cool!" Fulvio said while Artur helped the poor sheep.

"You already did it, Po?" Tigress and the rest arrived from the Jade Palace.

"Yeah! It was quiet easy!" Po replied. "But I wonder why Zeng was making such a fuss about only these two bandits."

"So there aren't any more bandits?" Daniel asked.

"What do you mean?" Artur suddenly asked.

"Zeng told us there were too many bandits in here." Tigress replied instead.

"What?!" Po, Fulvio, and Artur were astounded to know the fact. "Then it means—"

"That all of you had been framed." The poor-faced sheep, now with a devilish smirk, replied, standing away now beside the two croc brothers. Everyone was struck by the thunder of surprise! The sheep added, "Take a look around you."

They all did and found out that their group was encircled by the bandits of every type. Some fear crawled on their faces but they were ready to face what was about to come.

In the thunders, the blades all around sparkled, soon accompanied by the cold drizzle quietly damping the bodies.

"So this was a complete setup after all!" murmured Daniel as his eyes ran around the blades and their wielders.

"But who is behind this?" Po asked instantly.

"Seems like that sheep was a good bait to gather everyone around." A cold voice spread in the crater. Everyone knew who it was, and soon, the boy appeared.

"KAY!" Dan got angry the moment his eyes found the former friend. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"This means that you're surrounded by my force which is soon going to take all of you down and rule the Jade Palace and the valley."

"If this is a joke, I'm not laughing at all!" The friend cried.

"You find it as a joke, fine then. Let's have some serious business." And the dark one snapped high in the air. With a horrible cry of the thunder, all the howling and baying bandits, robbers, and criminals of every type rushed with the deadly weapons at the warriors standing framed in the middle of that gigantic bowl as those cold eyes calmly saw the whole thing happening.

Meanwhile, Po looked at Artur and noticed the same fear again.

"Hey, R." The panda warrior silently murmured. "Don't worry. I will protect you. That's a promise." And Po then got a nervous nod from the other side.

"NOW!" Po, the leader, cried and everyone thrust at the dark force at once.

The good and evil clashed! They managed to dodge the swings of the blades from every side, delivering some dense blows to knock the enemies barely. While Daniel helped his fellow Fulvio in the battle, Po helped his chum Artur, protecting him from every forthcoming attack.

Whenever a blade would be coming and Artur would see it, he would shout loudly his panda friend's name and Po would be there, reacting suddenly with a punch or kick to protect his friend. He had his whole panda body at stake for his friend. . . . only for the promise he made. This was way more than enough to show how much he loved his little friend—his little brother.

As the battle stretched, and the panda kept protecting the human, little, unnoticeable changes took place when every warrior was being separated from its fellow warrior little by little, now one covered from by four warriors at max.

The drizzle had changed into heavy rain by now, drenching everyone completely.

Towards those sharp blades and heavy weapons, one could hardly give a damaging blow to the enemy. The Furious Five, the two humans, and Po were constantly being hit by the heavy weapons now while Artur watched from a distance with contorted face. He wanted to, with all his heart, help his fellows but fear was what controlled him, allowing him not to even flinch a little.

Everyone was beaten down badly now, so badly that there was no strength left to move but lie on the wet ground and admit defeat. There was no other hope beside Artur who was still totally unhurt.

Unlike the rest of the damaged warrior not able to move, Po, even after taking many of the blows and still suffering through, tried to get up again but a heavy metal club swished, hitting the back from above. A groan came out but on those trembling hands, he tried once more, being hit once more, and fell to the ground again.

Through the heavy rain and the bandits blocking his way to his friend, those green eyes could still manage to see his tensed friend all alone, feeling the pain for the panda. But Po cared not of his own self but his friend. With bare strength left inside, the badly damaged warrior tried once more but the club came again, going for the head but a hand stopped it suddenly.

"That's enough." The cold, calm voice. "All of them have their beating. The only one remaining is the boy now. And I have _Strength_ to have him defeated."

While the only remaining warrior stood, willing to help, the enemies encircling him backed many paces—and then shooting the mud meters high, shaking the earth with its feet appeared the Strength, the bull leader of all the criminals around!

Height almost doubled of Artur, blood-red eyes glaring at the trembling ones, body hundreds of times stronger than the opponent, and chest grunting in rage; the frightened boy saw the whole monstrous structure with the flash of a terrible thunder. He started panting; heart throbbing. His soul was almost taken away by the fear of that giant. Eyes contained nothing but the monstrous fear inside.

While the frightened boy paced back, the giant fist came shooting down. But the stumbling of the boy saved his life for once as the fist struck the ground instead. Artur got up, limbs trembling, and tried to escape but the giant feet came in his way, shooting him on the ground. The blow hurt the human badly on the chest but he managed to get up again somehow.

The trembling eyes filled with nothing but fear were focusing on the damaged panda friend, trying to reach there by any means, thinking it might be of some use but as the boy put another step on the ground, the knee hit directly in the stomach and a layer of intense pain ran through it when Artur fell on the knees, trying to lessen the pain with holding his stomach.

Poor guy… he could not fight a single punch. But what was the thing blocking all of it?

Completely drenched in the rain of despair, he tried again to get up but the fist came to hit the face… and so it did, throwing the boy back.

Every warrior friend watched the poor boy with pitiful eyes but none could help for every soul was severely injured and defeated—couldn't even flinch. Those sad eyes watched the lonely boy being beaten severely.

There, the boy had his butt being kicked pretty badly, while here, Kay and his army watched calmly, some laughing on his pathos and tragedy. The groans, yelps and cries of his pain pierced through the noisy rain as one after another blows were being delivered and taken. He was crying like a child but no tears could be found in the rain.

By now, Artur was coated with mud allover while the bitter taste of the blood coated his inside. Po, the friend almost at the death's door, slowly moved both of his paws and pierced them into the ground, trying to drag his chubby body as he heard the cries and watch his suffering friend.

"Will. . . . help!" only the low, broken mumbles could be uttered through those bleeding lips. "Will. . . . protect!" The villain saw the panda with pitiful, though cold, eyes but showed no sign of mercy. He just ignored as Po kept murmuring and moving forward by inches, "I. . . . promise I will. . . . protect! I have to. . . . protect!" but the mumbles could not reach the friend. He himself was going through so much!

Finally, the bull holding high the wounded boy wearing injuries everywhere bashed him in a muddy drench with a destructive force. The sludge all rained over once more. "It's a shame," Strength grunted, "to fight against someone like you! Some fool so pathetic dependent upon others! You are worthless! You are trash! YOU ARE NOTHING!"

In the dead, cold heart, though little, but a warmth took place.

The words pinched into the heart of the broken, tragic one. "I know…" once more, the boy got up trembling and staggering on the poor limbs. His voice sounded tragic than ever! "I know that I am… pathetic… worthless… trash… a complete failure! I know that I ruin stuff… make a mess out of it… totally useless… NOTHING…! But now," the boy cried, "I will—"and out of the blue, the fist came again and hit the cheek, hurling the boy meters high.

Po watched the body fall down awfully. Even from such a distance, the eyes of the two friends matched, one begging to help and the other begging to be helped.

No more. . . the panda fellow could watch it no more so with all the strength left inside, he cried his heart out to let everyone and his lonely friend listen to it, "GET UP!" Artur shook at once! "I SAID GET UP! R, I'VE SEEN IT INSIDE OF YOU; YOUR WILL TO FIGHT AND HELP; I KNOW! YOU CAN BEAT DOWN YOUR FEAR! IT'S NOT HIS STRENGTH THAT IS STOPPING YOU BUT YOUR OWN FEAR! GET UP AND FIGHT 'CAUSE I BELIVE IN YOU! FOR MY SAKE, FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE, FIGHT!" and the panda took long breaths to restore the energy.

Those motivational words made R weep tears suddenly in happiness as he hit the ground with the fist. "If this is not going to make me fight, then I don't know what will!" As the staggering limbs stood again, a new face reflected in those outrageous eyes; the face so confident and rigid; assure of itself.

All the cards turned around and the truth was revealed was the blind eyes could not detect it.

A devilish smirk appeared on the face clouded with rage. "This appears to be fun now!" and again was a blow delivered on the human life but Artur dodged it by hair, hitting the hairy chin with a heavy foot-blow as he rolled in the mid-air.

It surely hurt the bull. A pause of surprise and then rage rushing in the veins. Jumping high, Strength shot down its hoof at the determined boy but another blow to the neck was absorbed instead in the mid-air again, making the monster cough and wheeze severely as it fell down in the dirt, facing the same fate as the boy did.

Before the bull could get up, the boy shot an ounce of mud in the blood-red eyes, blinding the enemy and then suddenly a layer of great agony was felt through the face for another blow was already absorbed!

A smile appeared on the panda's face while the rest of the warrior friends watched with the unbelieving eyes! It all appeared to be an illusion, but it wasn't! None of them had watched the boy fight like that, especially someone greater than him in all aspects. But the will to help was what provoked the hidden abilities.

Along with the rest of the friends, a faint smirk crossed Kay's face as well! "Interesting!" he murmured under the breath. One criminal standing beside moved to stop but was stopped instead by the hands of their very leader Kay. "Don't. Let's see who the strongest now is."

Everyone watched how the boy knelt the Strength right before his eyes and kept beating the heck out of him, turning his face to pulp! The punches rushed from every side to the face with such speed that they gave no time for the bull to move! Finally, holding both ears, the boy jumped, landing behind the back, and then with all his might, screeching the heart out, pulled the ears and hurled the bull all the way in the air at unbelievable height! The battle was decided as the Strength fell to the ground with its pulpy, defeated face!

Panting and wheezing, the exhausted warrior found the real enemy now standing in his face. Gulping, Artur managed to rise from the exhaustion and spoke, "You. . . You're next!"

"The fight was unexpected." The cold eyes replied. "I enjoyed it but I must leave after wiping the mess I've created here."

"You say it. . . as if I'd allow you to—"but a sudden push threw the boy to the ground.

"You can't fight with me in this state." And then he calmly went to the bull. With the moving steps, the rain calmed down as well, now only drizzling again.

"You are not worth being called _Strength_." But no reply from the unconscious body. Only warm rumbles. "Dead already, eh? As promised, everyone now will see my wrath." And the solemn body silently vanished!

It was strange and totally surprising to the eyes of the warriors of the Jade that one after another, all the criminals were being taken down by their very own superior; some choked to haze, some punched to pulp; mixed with the dirt; while some shot up high. But in the end, the whole crater was filled with the trash of the valley; the criminals of every type.

After cleaning his blood-covered knuckles from his the coarse cloth that he threw aside then, the dark one walked a few steps but a call stopped the silent paces.

"What Shifu said was right!" It was the wounded panda now on his feet, mostly restored but still lightly panting. "You, after all, are the one to. . . wreak havoc to the valley. How come would I let you go?"

Kay slowly turned. "I don't want to fight you. Not in this state."

"But I can't let you escape!" the solemn panda warrior said.

"Do you want me to fight with you. . . right here, right now?"

"You sure can peek into my mind!"

"Po, this is not good!" His brother Daniel tried to stop.

"No, Dan. If we let him go now, we'll hardly defeat him the next time."

"Fine then." Tigress spoke. "We all will be fighting with you."

"Okay." Po replied her friend with a smile.

"So," said Kay, "There is no choice then, I guess. Let's finish this. . . right here, right now."

The battle was 1 against 9. Both sides now faced each other as Artur added himself with his team.

Were the pages going to turn or. . .?


	5. Chapter 05: 42

**05: 42**

In the heavy rain, under the peach tree of the Jade, _his_ hands and clothes were blood-stained as those empty eyes stared at the dead body in the hands. Wet in the rain, severely damaged panting was the panda, in the same state as _his_ , but something happened and the stares of the panda remained empty no more. No more limits. . .

And then, the panda once so humble and nice even to his enemies, turned berserk!

The previous night: the 9 warriors facing the dark and cold nightmare. With Po taking the lead, every warrior charged at once as the panda cried, "Let's move!"

He was one, but was strongest in the present state as the rest had fought their selves to death, and now were bone-tired. But as it was the chance, they had to take the advantage of that.

Those cold eyes watched as everyone lunged at once. A backflip saved Kay from that wave and then a sudden forward thrust, going through the wall of the enemy helped him have the advantage to attack from behind. It happened so fast that none of them noticed, not even the Dragon Warrior!

But when a kick was coming at Daniel, the little Master Mantis noticed the presence behind and then flinched swiftly, backing the forthcoming kick with the power of his own little kick. Suddenly, from behind came Daniel, delivering a straight kick, backing the solemn one further while his arms absorbed the blow.

Stumbling behind, the hand clutched the ground, pushing the whole body high in the air with that strength. But when he was about to shoot himself down at the group, unnoticed Crane appeared out of the blue and disturbed the balance as the heaven iron feather slapped the back.

The boy fell to the ground and got up, finding that he was surrounded by all the warriors now.

After a glare around, the lone dark warrior flinched and then from the front and the back lunged Fulvio and Dan, one's kick to the face and the other's down to the base but the keen eyes judged the movements from both sides, and doing a spin, dodged the sharp blows slightly. While he had barely stepped again on the ground, the two had backed already and now came the Monkey and Viper slithering around, confusing Kay's eyes and movements.

While Viper crawled over his leg and then to his left arm, simultaneously, Monkey was about to give a dent with the tail of his but grappled the right arm instead, both together landing a blow directly to the face the sharp-eyed boy bent backward, doing again a backflip and then shot forcefully both of those warriors clinging to his arms at their friends, reflecting the damage.

While he was being dragged into a corner, the face showed only slight nervous expression as if he was doing all of that on purpose. But it did not seem that way.

Now came the remaining three warriors at once: Po, Tigress, and Artur. Some constant paces tapping back, dodging their normal kicks and punches, and Kay was out of the range of the other warriors now.

"I guess," spoke Kay with a mild smirk on the face, "You people should pay attention to your friends as well."

"What do you mean?" As the remaining warriors stopped, Po looked behind and was owl-eyed on seeing that all of his friends were now knocked unconscious already! "You—"and when he looked forward, his little friend Artur was unconscious too, lying on the ground, while Tigress, on the other hand, was in Kay's arms, partially dead as the rest of the warriors.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO EVERYONE?!" The panda could not swallow so many bitter facts at once.

"Simple," the dark human replied calmly and coldly as usual, "They were merely weak and couldn't stand my attacks. Now, I'm going to take her with me."

"NO, YOU'RE NO—"before something more could be uttered, the panda had already taken a heavy blow in the stomach that made him fall to the ground and yelp out of pain.

"Today's struggle was a good pay-off." spoke the boy again. "I now finally have what I wanted to." Po was suddenly shocked. Kay added, "But it was no fun fighting today. Some other day. . . ." and walked away silently, taking Tigress with her while Po, who was now completely stuck to the ground and could not get up, tried his best to stop with his shouts but no effect. The rustling steps dimmed, and so did the boy, finally vanishing from the eyes.

Whether good or bad, all the warriors were now left unconscious in that giant crater except the panda who later on struggled enough to go to a police constable nearby and report the whole thing. Soon, along with capturing all the criminals of the valley at once, help was brought too. The Kung Fu warriors were now taken to the Jade Palace; almost restored from the wounds of the battle now.

"We're sorry, Master." said Po. Everyone in the Hall of Heroes had faces clouded with regret and despair; bowing to their Grandmaster. There was a strange, gloomy silence mixed with defeat. "We could not protect Tigress. . . I let him escape. I was. . .I was weak."

"This," Shifu spoke, "is not your fault. I am the one for acting too naïve and not coming with you. This was all my lack of judgment. Now, all of you, get up." And they did.

"Not only you, Master," said Artur. "None of us had the idea that the whole setup was just about abducting Master Tigress."

"Yes. But the question is that why did he do that?" asked Fulvio. "What does he want from her?"

"I could be right," Daniel appeared, "Or I could be wrong but the Kay I knew wouldn't go that far. The guy we're facing now, he's way different. He might want us to accomplish his task… or maybe surrender to him and let him take over the valley."

"But this does not make sense." Mantis interrupted. "If he wanted to take over the valley, he could've done that alone, right? Like how he defeated all of us alone."

"Tell me what skill he has that turned the tables?" Shifu asked solemnly.

"The last thing I remember," Crane answered. "Was the sudden appearance of those dark, horrible eyes in front of my eyes and… and…"

"We found ourselves in here, Master." Monkey continued.

"What should we do now, Master?" Master Viper asked with a frown.

After Shifu gave a little thought, he replied solemnly again, "The situation is critical. Though we don't know the true purpose of the enemy or what might happen in the next moment but Tigress is the first priority. Each one of you will search Tigress in different directions across the valley in pairs. But if it is too late, everyone will have to return and continue the search for tomorrow. Understood?"

"Yes, master." All replied together.

"Master," the gloomy voice of Po bounced in the hall. "I want to go alone."

"I cannot take the risk of losing anyone else, Po!"

"Master, please!" The gloom on the furry face revealed the pain, and so did the words.

"Do you know the consequences of going alone?"

"Yes, I do!" the panda's resolve was strong enough to convince his master.

With a sigh, Shifu unwillingly allowed him. "Fine, then. You can go alone. But if she isn't found until late night, return then."

"Okay." Replied Po and then all the warriors of the Jade Palace, including their Grandmaster, left the valley, heading in all directions, galloping.

The sunset eyes opened and the blurred and squinted vision saw a dark cave barely illuminated with a flickering, crimson torch. Getting up from the rock-bed of smooth surface, those eyes found that the cave was narrow and congested; allowing only three people to be there at the moment, but still it was quiet warm and cozy.

"You awake?" the same cold voice struck her ears and they twitched.

She knew who he was so with a sudden jerk she got, taking her usual battle stance. "You brought me here?" She uttered a warning growl.

"No need to be so worked up." From the darkness outside, the silhouette entered inside and the glow made the figure visible to her eyes. "Sorry for such a bad place but you should rest here while you can."

"Why did you bring me here?" Tigress asked coldly. "And what happened to my friends?"

"Your friends are fine." Now, Kay's speaking manner was mild, not cold or solemn. A strange thing! "By now, they might be in the Jade Palace or looking for you across the valley. And as for the first question, I want you… to lend me your power."

"Either you are a clever or a fool to ask of such a thing from an enemy."

"Consider whatever you want to but you will help me no matter what."

"And why would I?"

"Because… Because I am going to tell you the truth of everything—the truth about my purpose and myself." And then he left a dim smirk on his face that both surprised and confused Tigress! The boy then drew out the same timer from his pocket and then looked at the digits "15:45" on its screen, and then whispered with the same faint smirk, "Now I will tell you the truth of everything. . . ."

The real purpose of the boy coated in black was…!

Out there, Po was all worried about his friend. Through the mountains and the neighboring valleys, the caves and the forests, everywhere he searched, shouting and crying her name again and over again, asking from the people around again and over again but none knew about Tigress.

Now, it was 2:45 of the midnight. Everyone had returned to the Jade temple a little late then the routine but only Po was missing. Shifu and the rest knew that Po would not come till he found Tigress and that is why none bothered to go though they were worried about Po too. But they knew that taking Po back to the Jade Palace would be useless for he will again come out in the middle of the night and continue his search again.

The three human dwellers of the Jade were still awake for they were really tensed about Po. Unlike the rest of the people, those humans were capable of keeping awake past late night. In the mumblings, the three were discussing about the present situation.

"Why is Po being such an idiot?" Fulvio said; a little annoyed. "He should return by now!"

"I'm… I'm worried about him." said Artur; frowning a little. "I hope he comes back unhurt. Kay won't come again, right?"

"That scoundrel!" Unlike the two, Daniel was pretty serious and angry. "If even a little thing happens to Po, I'm not going to leave Kay undamaged! I will make him pay!"

"Guys," It was Fulvio. "If we are this much worried about our panda, won't it be better to leave right now?"

"SURE!" Artur got a slightly excited.

"So let's not waste time and leave without making a noise." Daniel added.

As the three came out of the room stealthily and quietly, trying not to make even the slightest noise, Fulvio, losing the balance, suddenly stumbled and fell on one of the paper doors, making a huge noise that echoed into every corner of the barracks.

Watching him do such a dumb mistake, Daniel whispered, "IDIOOOOOOT!"

"Oh, I'm—I'm sor— Guys!" It appeared that Fulvio realized something. "Monkey is not in his room!"

"What?!" Both R and Dan asked in astonishment. They then checked all the rooms and found them empty.

"What… What the heck!" Fulvio said.

"They left secretly at some moment," spoke R. "So that we can be safe! So unfair!"

"Two words: Let's go!" Dan said, and the three then left the Jade palace in the mid-night."

Severely panting, bone-tired, drenched in sweat, the panda warrior still did not quit. He still was wishing on the hope that was not even there now. Gulping his dried throat a few times after sitting near a bamboo tree and easing, he took long breaths to replenish his strength. He then vent all the anger inside of him—the anger for being weak—into one prolonged growl that bounced among the trees.

Meanwhile, inside the same cave, Kay had told every ounce of truth to the warrior he had abducted. She had her eyes almost on the brink of popping out because of astonishment—no words on the lips.

"Now, tell me." Kay spoke. "Would you help me now or not?"

"I am… not going to help you. Not like this." Both her face and her words were strangely calm now!

"I understand. . . If not, I'm then going to make you help me."

"Try it." She challenged with a smirk.

Kay giggled under his breath and then suddenly got hold of her shoulders—those brown eyes staring into the depth of those sunset eyes.

"Look into my eyes." His voice sounded snaky. "Look deep into my eyes. You will only and only be bound to my commands now: You are now the enemy of the people at the Jade Palace. When Po tries to wake you up…" and then he silently whispered something more, "…then you will wake up and forget everything and all what I've told you, and the moment you were around me."

And the final snap of Kay's fingers echoed in front of her eyes and she slept again, with Kay now holding her fur body. "There, there. As I said: You should rest while you can." And then that dark guy put her body gently on the same rock.

With the first shaft of the sun, those green eyes slowly opened, slightly disturbed. Stretching out, Po yawned after rubbing gently the eyes and found himself on the road in the middle of the same forest. At first, he wondered how he arrived there but then he remembered that it was his search for his friend that led him there all the way.

As the memories of the previous night—of how his friend got kidnapped—ran through the mind, the gloom covered that fur face again. With those sleepy and exhausted eyes, he got up as the tummy grumbled out of hunger, and then walked unwillingly back to the valley, defeated.

As the sun rose a little higher, waking up some of the dwellers of the valley for their daily chores, Po was then crossing his home where his goose dad saw the same defeated—gloomy face while cleaning the floor with the mop having the restaurant empty.

"Uh, Po? Where are you coming from?"

"Oh, I was just… just having a walk." He entered in the restaurant, trying to avoid the eye-contact with his dad.

"A walk? You're lying to me, aren't you?" but Po said nothing except hiding those sad eyes. Ping knew something was not right. "Tell me, son. What's wrong?"

After a deep silence, Po replied, "We… We lost the battle against Kay, dad. I lost Tigress! I spent the whole night finding her but there was nowhere I could find her! I'm afraid he might have done something to her! But it was all because I am weak."

"So, it is true after all. That boy has turned evil. You don't have to worry, Po. You know Tigress. She has won battles with you. She will find a way!"

"Thanks for the consolation, dad. But I'm still afraid. I dunno what to do." His voice was shaking slightly, still deep and sad.

"I have no words to comfort you more than this." His dad mumbled unhappily. "By the way, your brother and your human friends came late at night and are still here."

"What?! What were they doing that late?"

"They were finding Tigress too but sadly, they found nothing. They told me about the battle and how all of you were defeated by that insane brat and lost Tigress too!"

"Oh, is that so? They need rest then."

"You should rest a little too. Your eyes are heavy. I can see it."

"I'm fine. I'd be going to the Jade palace now." And then he walked sadly again.

"O-Okay, but don't stress yourself too much!" Watching his panda son with such a down-hearted face, Ping furrowed as well, feeling the same pain.

After Po reached the Palace, he got to know that nothing related to Tigress caught the sight of the other warriors, too, including the Grandmaster Shifu. Hence, they decided that after having the breakfast, they will continue their search again for most of the day, skipping the training.

Again, they searched over and over wherever they could but not even a bit changed. The result was the same. By noon the clouds had overtaken the sky once again, like the previous night. It seemed that rain will rush down again later.

After restless research with the help of the humans, everyone returned with sad and unhappy faces again, even the Grandmaster! Misery, agony, grief, and pain, all of them were lingering through the vacuum and the walls of the Jade Palace. All of them were there inside the Great Hall of Heroes—sad and mute—but all the heroes seemed failures, everyone thinking that it was all because of one's own self.

But what happened could not be undone.

In the hall spoke nothing but the roaring thunders of night again. It was rushing again, just like the previous night. The whistles of the gusts entered and escaped, adding more coldness to the situation.

"I'll have a snack." Same sad face like the rest, Dan got up and headed towards the kitchen along with the Urn of Whispering Warriors that he really liked.

"Beware of rain." Fulvio mumbled.

"Don't worry. I love walking in the rain 'cause no one knows I'm crying. Charlie Chaplin, was it?"

"Dunno."

"Whatever! Gotta go."

A little time had passed when Dan left that the closed doors of the hall wham-opened and shook everyone! The hollow-eyed figure in standing wonder-stricken everyone! It was Tigress standing straight and stiff, but no one had the idea of how dangerous she had turned. From behind flashed the thunder casting the dark shadow on the warriors.

"T-Tigress!" Po almost cried her name happily!

None could believe the eyes. They all just ran towards her except Shifu who had predicted the change. As he tried to stop everyone with his thundering voice, she had everyone taken down already with that indescribable speed and now was going to thrust her fierce paw at her master that Shifu blocked the blow and found that her eyes were wider and black other than usual orange.

Out there, Dan was sitting alone under the peach tree in the heavy rain—gazing into the mist—having the Urn to his side that with a sudden thunder and bright flash, he realized some other presence; a familiar one! Jolting up, his eyes perceived the befriended enemy appearing from behind the tree.

"YOU!" Daniel snarled.

An old, familiar smirk in return. . . .

Inside the hall, Shifu was fighting his student; avoiding and dodging those fierce paws by any means possible because those hits had turned violent and damaging. Shifu knew that just one slash from those paws would cause brutal wound and intense bleeding.

While the Grandmaster was alone fighting her, Po woke up out of the rest, shaking violently his head, and saw Shifu being constantly pushed back. Bashing the red panda master on the floor, those paws were about to tear the skin that the panda suddenly grasped tightly her body, leaving no chance for her limbs' movement.

"Ti-gress," The panda was trying to keep holding his friend. "Open your eyes! It's us you are fighting!" but that tiger was set free by the thundering force inside and she then kick him backed, shooting at one of those jade pillars.

"Tigress has been hypnotized!" Shifu stated as he lunged from behind with that powerful flying kick, but the sudden, empty, cold gaze confused Shifu's as he found nothing in front of him. There, she appeared right behind out of the blue, bringing down the heavy kick upon the rodent master that even cold him out as well!

Po watched Shifu being defeated by the evil Tigress, but could do no single thing except call his master. No response just like everyone.

Now, it was one-on-one, against the two opposites; the black and the white.

Both the solemn and the contorted faces moved onwards with a jump start.

The knee-blow unforeseen pierced directly into the panda's stomach and blood gushed out with intense pain. On the right side of the head, Tigress then delivered a sharp leg-blow that shot the panda onto another pillar, hurting his back. Lurching and staggering, fighting both the outer and the inner pain with contorted face, Po got up again.

 _"I can't hit her considering her my enemy,"_ the panda spoke within. _"There must be some way to bring her back! I'll have to do it without hurting her."_

Few blood drops trickled down the chin, staining the floor shiny red. But the panda had his eyes on the friend who had turned into a beast now. Hardly had he stepped forward that a series of heavy—quick punches fell on the front, turning his yelps into groans half uttered. Then came a palm directly hitting the chest—strong enough to crack the jade pillar behind.

Out of strength, the panda warrior was about to fell onwards that the fierce claw clutched the neck and then threw him at the standing artifacts. Before he could restore even for a while, another kick came hitting the face, throwing back at the wall.

Again was the neck clutched by those fierce paws and then the wounded panda was dragged against the wall up to the giant door and then thrown down again, drenching in his injuries and blood.

At a certain distance right in front of him she stood with the same empty eyes. No words uttered from the lips that once talked friendly. Po got up once more, sighing with his closed eyes, recalling the past; the days when Kay had not turned bad.

"Hey, Po." Spoke Kay, voice solemn but friendly. "The question is out of the blue and I'm no one to ask this but… do you like Tigress?"

"Wh-What?!" The panda was surprised!

"Do you like Tigress?" He repeated again.

"She's…" Po was slightly blushing, hiding his eyes. "She's a friend! A good friend! That's all!"

"But between the two of you, especially from your side, I have seen things more than a good friend." Po was shying in his silence. "Anyway," Kay added, "Let me tell you a deep secret: I like her too."

"Wha…?!" His ears twitched suddenly as his body shook. His voice is unusually low now. "Th-That's great! I'm glad… you shared something with me."

His eyes opened and found himself in the present.

 _"After that…"_ again, the panda spoke within. " _Watching you with Tigress gave me a little bitterness somewhere inside. But I did not want to lose a friend like you, Kay; a friend to share his deep truth with me._

 _"But when you changed,"_ Po paced suddenly at his friend. _"And took Tigress away, I had fear that you'd take her away forever."_ Foreseeing his friend's attack, Po bent down. _"The fear has come true. But now that you have taken her away and gone this far, I'll show what lies inside of me."_ The panda then grabbed Tigress as she turned and leaned. _"I'll show… my love to you!"_ and then the two lips softly attached to each other!

The empty Tigress was trying to get rid of the panda but before any further actions could be taken; those empty eyes were refilled as she felt the warmth of his kiss. Her owl eyes then suddenly dimmed right after she saw Po's face. She fainted after coming back to her normal state.

The magic happened!

As for the rest of the warriors, they had seen every last moment with widely opened eyes; they have seen everything with detail! But the panda warrior, now solemn, did not care as he put Tigress gently on the floor. "I'm going!" and then left, galloping.

"Just…" asked Fulvio, "What happened right now?" He looked at Artur and a smile appeared and broadened on his friend's face.

Against the needles of the rain Po was running, looking for his brother Daniel. He had the intuition in mind that something was not right. Drenched in rain, he looked everywhere and dan was nowhere to be found.

Finally, as those paces took him on the inclination to the Peach tree, the past reflected in his mind again.

"Y'know?" said Po to Kay. "I thought you were sorta serious. But you're not what you look like. You're awesome!"

"Is that so?" asked Kay. "I don't think so."

"You're right, Po!" Daniel appeared. "He acts all serious… but he's a complete package of dumbness!"

"All of you guys, "Po said warmly, "are so cool! We'll be great friends all together!"

In the heavy rain, Po now reached to the top where he was stunned and numbed when the thunder flashed and made everything clear.

Kay was there.

Daniel was there, too.

But Kay had the dead body of Daniel covered in blood in his lap, those eyes out of life!

From the past, the last sentence of Daniel echoed in the stunned panda's ears as death reflected in those green eyes, _"Yes! We'll be great friend together!"_


	6. Chapter 06: White Shadow

**06: White Shadow**

In the heavy rain, under the peach tree of the Jade, Kay's hands and clothes were blood-stained as those empty eyes stared at the dead body in the hands. Wet in the rain, severely damaged panting was the panda, in the same state as his, but something happened and the stares of the panda remained empty no more. In that heavy rain, no tears could be seen but the eyes of the panda appeared unusually wet.

Poor Po. At the very least, he was expecting his human brother to be hurt to some great extent but _that_. . . That part was not even in his darkest nightmares! There was no expression on the face of that dead body but just lifeless eyes looking at him, while the rest of the body appeared to be cut and sliced with some blades!

The ground was nothing but blood! All the unanticipated red was piercing into his green eyes, reflecting back the moments spent was Dan; the moments of friendship; the moments of brotherhood; and the moments of love.

Among the thunder, a prolonged cry took place.

It was Po.

His heart was severely damaged, more than his giant body—so damaged that he felt no pain outside but was already killed thousands of times inside! No blood was there but his mournful cries were defining how terrible loss he was suffering at the moment. Suddenly, his cries turned into rage when he turned berserk.

It was so much unlike the humble and soft-hearted panda everyone knew. This one now wanted revenge.

With a cry, as Po paced at unperceivable speed, he delivered an unavoidable knee-blow direct to the face of that dark villain paused at the dead. The blow shot him behind the tree. Kay was about to get up on those staggering feet that another blow came in rage, bashing his face directly on the harsh bark of the tree, scratching the skin. His face was now bleeding but Po did not stop at all!

He shot at his enemy one blow, and then other, and then another… turning his body to pulp with mountain load of unstoppable punches! Kay was not given a chance to even flinch. Po caught his leg as Kay fell, and then with all his might shot Kay on the damp ground, causing bone-breaking damage. Again did the panda pick him up high to his own chin in one claw and then focused many punches on the face again, crying out, "WHY…?! WHY…?! WHYYYY…?!" but no answer appeared from that face painted red now.

His improvised fighting style had now turned into berserk style where he did not care what blows he threw, where he hit, or what limit he reached. He kept punching, kicking, and bashing the evil responding none.

At the same time, the rest of the warriors arrived along with Master Tigress who was now normal. But soon, they, too, had their eyes turned into gazes on watching everything. For everyone, especially the two humans, it was not a shock but a thunderbolt! None could believe what the eyes saw. Their hearts constantly thumped, " _IT'S A LIE! IT'S A LIE! IT'S A LIE!_ " but the truth had to be accepted no matter what.

After beating enough strength out of the odd human, Po, sniveling and sobbing, held the body high where there was no ground but dense forest meters below.

"YOU KILLED MY BROTHER! YOU ARE… A MURDERER!" Po snarled and then overwhelmed by rage shot one last blow to the face, throwing him into the vacuum before those half muttered words of Tigress could stop him.

As the body slowly float, that blood-drenched face—those solemn stares-turned mild again, giving Tigress a last look. Before her sunset eyes could achieve the complete meaning behind those eyes, Kay fell down into infinity!

The panda who had his brother avenged now fell onto the knees, drenched by agony and regret, and cried… cried at the sky with the dead body in his hands, with the rest mourning and soothing the broken heart.

Funeral took place under dark clouds sobbing too. As being the member of the Jade Palace and an honorable warrior, Daniel's last home was built in the Master's Garden as a stone statue.

It was hard but days later, everyone had recovered from the past wounds except the poor panda who skipped teaching for a few days and loved to stay near his brother's remaining stuff instead. The scent of his brother from the bag, his clothes and his belongings gave the panda comfort. But sometimes, gleaming tears would appear in those green eyes too, reminding him of the sweet memories and the horrible past.

As for the rest of the warriors, they were taught once again under the guidance of the Grandmaster Shifu, but learning from him was a new but rather difficult experience for the two humans now remaining.

"Hey, Po. When would you come back and teach us again?" Fulvio was alone with the misrey-stricken panda in Daniel's room. Lighting the hanging lamp to dim the darkness of the evening, Fulvio spoke humbly, "Y'know? Master Shifu's methods really are hard, to be honest! Now, I know why you tried to escape the Jade Palace at first."

Po giggled under his tone, moving slowly those chubby fingers over one of Dan's clothes; but face still reflecting some gloom and sadness. "Yes. He sure is."

Fulvio came and sat right in his face. "Now, tell me. Where would my friend like to go to, this eve?"

"Nowhere, to tell you the truth." The panda overcame by sadness gave a slight eye and then looked at the clothes again.

"C'mon, dude! It's been days since you haven't seen the light outside the Jade Palace!" Silence was the answer from those lips. "Po, at least answer! Say anything!" That chubby human friend now turned on insisting but Po would remain the same. Finally, accepting defeat from those sad mumblings and silence, Fulvio asked after a sigh of exhaustion, "You still miss him, right?"

"I can't… I can't forget how cruelly he was killed. You know? He really, really loved me. I… I always kissed him good night though he felt it embarrassing but on the inside, he… he… he loved it!" The voice was now shaking, but Po struggled against his tears. "But there's another thing I'm sad about."

"What is it?" Fulvio politely asked.

"At that night, I turned into a monster – a beast – and k-killed him out of anger! I can't forgive myself! I can't come to terms like this with myself! My own self, I can't face it!" His contorted face manifested his inner feelings. It was pain, both physical and mental.

"Hey, hey! Calm down! I'm here! I am here, okay." After a deep silence, Fulvio spoke again, "Po, you don't have to worry about what happened in the past. Everyone commits fault in anger. I, too, had done stupid things. For Kay, I'll simply say that he reaped what he sowed… With you, everyone lost a great friend, too! But now, we have to see what lies ahead of us… We can either let the past wounds stay green or turn them into scars and learn from it."

The wise words shook the panda as he realized.

"Let me tell you this: I once lost a great teacher too who brought me to what I am today. I don't want to lose another one. I don't want to lose you—a teacher, and a cute friend." Those simple words brought a small grin on Po's face.

"Thanks! I'll try… I'll try to learn from the scars."

"There's one more thing!"

"Hm?"

"Tomorrow's the free day, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Tomorrow, there'd be a great surprise waiting for you down in the forest near the White Moon Lake!"

"Really?!"

"Yeah! Just wait as the day arrives! Now, get up. We've gotta go, right?"

"Yeah!" Po mumbled with a new glow on the face. "We've gotta go."

The next day, Po was waiting impatiently, walking here and there, wondering what the surprise was. By the crystal clear lake surrounded by dense bamboos, he sat on a smooth rock, looking at his chubby face in the mirror-like water. "What's the surprise, I wonder. It's almost evening now."

Along with the reflection of the panda appeared another mutual face. Orange fur with black stripes, sunset eyes. It was Tigress! Po was pretty much surprised on seeing that face that he almost jumped.

"T-Tigress?! What're you d-doing here?!"

"Fulvio told me that we're having some sort of party in here but I found you." She was mild in her manner. "Where's everyone?"

"Th-They appear to be late. But I guess we should wait a little for everyone, right?"

"Yes."

After that, both sat quietly, but Po appeared to be more conservative; trying not to even look at Tigress because of what had happened in the past with her—the kiss. He was blushing and was embarrassed of his doing.

"Is… something wrong, Po?"

"Uh… D-Do you remember what happened _that_ day; how I brought you back?"

"Why are you asking that?" Tigress asked.

"NO! Just nothing! Forget about it!" After a silence feeling weird to Po, the panda again asked, "Tigress, have you ever thought of. . ."

"…of… what?"

"…of, y'know, going out with a guy and have fun time?"

"Well, I have given my life to Kung Fu so that's why I haven't given time to such thoughts. Why are you asking anyway? Are you interested in some girl in the valley?"

"Uh… I think… yes."

"Really?" Her ears twitched on hearing that.

"Yeah! And she knows me pretty well. But I haven't told her yet that I like her. What do you think, should I tell her?"

"I think… I think…" Right there, her tone went down and her words stopped.

"Are you alright?"

"You should… tell her," Tigress suddenly turned around after a brief silence, looking over her shoulder at Po. "You should tell her. . . . It's getting late and no one has arrived. I should now go—" Her body stopped before making it to a complete pace for it was the soft paw of her friend that had clutched her paw. Her eyes turned wider!

"It is you." Po mumbled solemnly. "The girl I liked and wanted to go on a date with, it's you."

"I knew it." With a faint, glowing smile, her body turned as the surprised panda got up. "I was trying to hide my feelings as if nothing happened that day, but I knew you'll know one day."

Po pulled Tigress suddenly towards himself and covered her body in his warm hug. "I… I love you, Tigress."

Slowly and carefully, Tigress, too, wrapped her arms around his back. "It is a little embarrassing to say but I'll say it anyway: I l-love you too, Po. I'm glad you told me the truth." Po smiled in return.

 _"So this was your surprise, right, Fulvio?"_ The panda thought and then pressed further his hug."

From one of the rocks behind in the dense forest, Fulvio was peeking with a smile on the face. "I'm glad you did it, Po!"

Later on, their _unexpected_ dating continued while Fulvio left to the Jade Palace to inform the rest of the warriors out of impatience. Everyone surely was surprised! But somehow, the surprising talk touched Shifu's ears and when the two best friends—now lovers—arrived at the Jade Palace late in the evening, they both were summoned by the Grandmaster.

"I wonder what result would come out." Artur asked as they waited in the barracks.

"Hope everything turns fine!" Fulvio, unlike the rest, was a little bit scared, striding here and there in the room to lessen the anxiety.

"Would you just stop moving around? It's bugging me!" said Mantis; a little annoyed.

"Why are you taking all the stress, Fulvio?" Master Viper asked gently, feeling pity for the guy.

"It's 'cause… It's 'cause I was the one to plan their whole date thing!"

Everyone together, "WHAT?!"

"Yeah, guys! Please, don't be angry at me! Y'know after that one-sided kiss they both had, there was a flame inside of me since that moment, telling me that I should bring those two even closer so I planned the whole thing!"

"I had no idea you were that good at this kinda stuff!" Crane was surprised.

"But what did you tell both Po and Tigress?" Out of curiosity, Monkey asked from Fulvio.

"Uh… To Tigress, I told that there was a party down at the Moon Lake and also told her to stealthily go there and surprise everyone. And to Po, I simply told that there was a surprise waiting for him there. That's all."

"Wow, dude!" Artur appeared. "You could have all of us involved, too!"

"I thought that the plan would go loose if I tell anyone."

In the meantime, the panda entered the barracks, heads down. His appearance was a sudden jolt to everyone.

"Buddy, what happened? Without a stop, Fulvio asked.

"Uh… We talked with Shifu." His voice was low, head still down at the feet.

"And then…?!"

He seemed a little annoyed."

"AND THEN…?!"

After a sigh for mustering up the courage, Po cheered out of the blue, "WE'RE HAVING A PARTY TWO DAYS FROM NOW!"

"WHAT?!" Everyone gasped together!

"Yes! We talked out everything with Shifu and convinced him so he said that if the two of us are going to become life partners in the future, there should be held a function in the whole valley where I and Tigress would be announced as forever partners! Don't you guys think it's awesome?!"

For a moment, all the eyes were popped in wonderment but then a sudden burst of cheers and hugs answered his question.

Two days later, the whole valley was decorated with red, yellow, and white lamps hanging from wall to wall, illuminating the roads and streets, posters and hand-drawn pictures everywhere both of Po and Tigress together, fireworks and firecrackers decorated in different corners. The valley was immersed in different glows never seen before. From far away, it appeared to be the most beautiful twinkling star everyone hopes to travel to.

With the full moon watching from above, the night was beautiful where the calm breeze swished gently among the streets, taking away some of the leaves in the distance. By the deep night, both the panda village and the valley of peace were there, drenched in the happiness, contentment, and delight. Every face so far could be seen giggling, laughing, and cheering for the occasion was somewhat so delighting.

And now, on the stage adorned with the roof of flowers and ribbons of different sorts hanging loose and the base covered with the carpet of red silk, stood both Po and Tigress next to each other, clothed in white, while the rest standing down captured the moment in those gleaming eyes full of cheers. On the stage so well decorated by Master Crane and his fellow warriors including the two humans, Shifu stepped and stood among them—a faint smirk on the face.

"Citizens of the different valleys and villages, tonight, we are here on this gifted occasion to let these two pure souls start a connection of the heart with each other so in the future, they might marry to each other, becoming a heavenly couple!" Shifu then turned to Po. "Po, also known as The Dragon Warrior, do you fully, in all your consciousness, welcome Master Tigress to be your future wife from this moment on?"

"Shifu," Po whispered in his eyes out of embarrassment, "Is it really necessary to do all this stuff in front of the people?" The grandmaster gave him a grave look. "Okay, okay! I'll say it: I do." Po again whispered.

"Po, you are supposed to say it a little loud for everyone to hear."

"Oh, if that's the case then…" and then the panda shouted out unnecessarily loud, "I DOOO!" but the people around just watched with owlish eyes.

"Has he lost his mind for saying it that loud?!" Fulvio asked.

"Po might be nervous." replied Artur in a whisper. "He's having a sort of marriage experience after all."

"Now," the red panda master then turned to Tigress, "Tigress, do you fully, in all your consciousness, accept Po as your future husband from this moment on?"

"I…" Tigress was blushing too under her fur but she mustered up the confident in her answer with a smile. "I do."

"May happiness shower upon this heavenly couple and upon all the people present in this very moment of pleasures." And after that, the silence first aided with the swishes of the calm breeze now was filled with hoots and cheers of the joy.

Everyone around was happy, except for Fulvio who, unlike the rest, had just a dim smile appearing sad as his eyes watched Po and Tigress accepting gifts from different people. Out of the blue, his eyes turned hazy and before he could wipe away the haze, Po saw Fulvio from away and the bright smile on the chubby face of the panda then turned into slight curiosity.

Realizing that Po was watching him, Fulvio suddenly turned around and disappeared in the crowd, leaving Po with a question in his mind. But again, Po got busy with everyone.

It was late night. Everyone had slept by now except Fulvio still sitting outside the gates of the Hall of Heroes; looking at the peaceful glimmers of the valley. His face was constantly reflecting those sad expressions as the memories of Po and Tigress together flowed through his mind.

"Man, he's so lucky." In a low tone, he mumbled with no one around.

"Who's so… lucky?" It was a familiar voice! Fulvio twitched his head behind and found Po badly panting.

"What're you doing here this late?"

"Maybe I should... I should ask you… the same question." And then the panda came and sit aside with his friend as a gulped a deep breath. "Lemme have some open air first!" Po took a few huge breaths more and then asked again as he restored, "So, what're you doing here, buddy?"

"I was… I was just… enjoying the place."

"I've never seen you alone like this. There's always someone with you. You're a lively one!"

That human slightly giggled. "I was talking about you just now. You're the lucky one. Going out on a date, getting the girl so quick and easy! You sure are lucky as heck!"

"Nah! I'm not lucky 'cause I have now Tigress closer to me than before. I'm lucky 'cause I've got friends like you guys; the one to return me my life again, the one to give me such a big surprise that fixed everything for me. I really had a hard time leaving the past in the past and also telling Tigress that I love her but you were there and sorted things out for me."

"I… I guess you're right." And the deep silence prevailed again.

"Hey," the panda friend asked softly. "Back then, why were you crying?"

A sudden jolt shook Fulvio. "Wha-What?! I was not crying! I was—"

"You can tell me the truth." Po gently patted his shoulder. "I'm your teacher and your cute friend after all!" and gave a dim smile then.

The human boy remained silent for a brief moment but then spoke, "The truth is… The truth is that I… had a girlfriend too."

"REALLY?! So, do you-do you miss her in here?" In his question, the panda hurried, impatient for an answer.

"It's not like that." His face was gloomy. "In the campus, others called me 'Fatty' and by other annoying names but she was the one who always protected me too. Even at times, she fought for me 'cause she was a Black belt in Karate. She was beautiful and unique."

"COOL!"

Fulvio giggled on that reaction and then continued, "With time, we never knew how much closer we came towards each other. We texted each other, wrote on pages to each other, talked a lot in private. Two weeks spent like that. And then one day, I asked her to go on a date with me."

"SWEET!"

"You think it's sweet, huh? You have no idea what happened then." Po became curious out of the blue. "After I asked her to go on a date, she accepted the offer. Only the two of us were sitting in a garden under a tree. Everything was fine until then. . ."

"What happened after that?"

"Her real boyfriend came and saw the whole thing."

"WHAT?! SHE HAD A BOYFRIEND?!"

"She never told me. And not only that, her boyfriend was the one who bullied me in the campus the most. The whole love thing for those two weeks was just a drama and fun for her. She never loved me at all."

"This… THIS IS SO MUCH NOT FAIR!" In anger, Po clenched his fist.

"Her boyfriend was with his gang. Altogether, they all gave me a good beating. There was no one to help. While I had my butt getting kicked, she was laughing at me, and… and enjoying… making fun of me, Po!" Those poor eyes had now tears, and the voice was shaking. Poor guy was crying and sniveling. Po, too, had tears in those green eyes. "After that, along with Artur, I changed the school and transferred where both Kay and Dan were there. There were people to bully but both Kay and Dan helped us every time and slowly, we became friends. You know the rest of the story. . .

"Y'know, today, when I saw you and Tigress standing together like that, I was sad because it reminded me of my time! I didn't want you to suffer the same as me that's why I brought the two of you together."

Suddenly, the panda hugged his friend tightly and squeezed him gently. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry, Fulvio!"

"Idiot, what are you sorry for?"

Po leaned back and wiped Fulvio's tears. "I'm just… I'm just feeling so helpless…! If there's anything I can do for you, tell me! I promise I'll be there!"

"I will! I sure will!"

Both friends then slightly bumped their heads. "Thanks, Po." Fulvio whispered. "Thank you very much." After that, both the panda and the human then left towards the barracks together.

In the Master's Garden, there was silence aided with night crickets. The usual night breeze, as it swished, touched the human boy Daniel's statue and then it started shaking suddenly and violently, shattering its pieces everywhere! From down the ground where the warrior was buried, the white stripes of fine silk peeked and then came out as if being uprooted, turning round and round around the grave from inside of which appeared the jade smoke, both soon making a structure together.

Smokey, jade eyes, pure white skin with snow white hair ruffling with the breeze, and the same slim, muscular body completely wrapped in the stripes and flaps of white. . . The figure was Daniel!

A deep snuff he took of the breeze with closed eyes, releasing into his snaky, whispery voice, "Buddy, buddy, buddy... where are you, Kay?"

A smile that defines the darkest intentions. . . . appears!


	7. Chapter 07: Snow

07: Snow

"Wake up! Wake up!" Those violent shakings of Po finally woke the poor guy from a sad sleep.

"What is it, Po?!" Fulvio grunted.

"Now that R is awake already, you're the one taking his stead!" The panda friend said. "We've gotta train! Come on!"

"O-OKAY!" He cried. "I'll be wakin' up soon!"

"Not soon! NOW!"

"OKA-" With a thrust, he got up and hit his head with that of Po, hurting both himself and his friend.

"I'll have to say," The panda yelped, holding his own head. "You've got one rock-hard head here!"

"S-Sorry 'bout that!"

"No sorries! Now, training!"

"UGH!"

A tender snow flake has formed.

Same day, same training filled with fun and fight, same shouts bouncing through the halls, same after-training meal, and same travel down to the valley. Now totally odd after the previous night, Fulvio appeared bored. His face reflected that something wasn't right. What was it?

"Fulvio…! FULVIO!" The call from his human friend woke him from the thoughts. "Where are you lost?"

"Wh-What?" He shook violently his head, waking from the day dreaming, finding himself in the Noodles Shop.

"Don't you 'what' me!" R said. "Where are you lost? I've been noticing you're not present at all since the morning!"

"I've been watching this same hanging face." Mantis spoke. "What's the deal, buddy? You're not even eating anything."

"Really?" Fulvio looked in his front and found his noodle bowl turning slightly cold, breathing out vapours. "Maybe I'm not in a mood." Unwillingly he mumbled.

"Not in a mood?! You were the one forcing us here. Something's definitely not right!" The little guy gave a suspicious look. "Tell us, what's the matter?"

"N-No! It's nothing!" Under his fake giggle, Fulvio tried to hide.

Perhaps Artur read his face with a normal eye and then mildly spoke, "Just leave him. It happens to him at times. Normal stuff."

"Is that so, Fulvio?" Asked the little, green master.

"Y-Yeah! He's right! Happens at times! Pretty, pretty normal stuff!" Another fake giggle while scratching the head in nervousness.

A brief eye of suspicious again and then Mantis spoke, "Okay! Let's just leave that aside then!

Another tray full of bowls of dumplings and tofus clatter near that of Fulvio's.

"Hey, handsome!" It was the beauty of the Panda Village – Mei Mei.

As if death has sat beside him, Fulvio got all depressed, anxious, and nervous. "H-H-Hey, M-Mei Mei!" He gulped.

"Oh my! You seem pretty… sweaty on your face!"

"Well," R interrupted, "Maybe he just saw you."

"WHAT?!" A grave look from the pink panda lady.

"N-Nothing, nothing! It's nothing!" The grave look surely scared him. "I-I remembered now that Po just called me and Mantis!"

"What?" Mantis asked. "Since when did Po—"

"No, you don't remember! Just come on!" and Artur grabbed the little master in his hand and fled away.

"R…! R! ARTUR!" Fulvio's angry whispers could no longer reach his friend for they had left already.

Flake bewildered.

"So… we're alone now, right?" Her sudden whisper shook him.

"Uh… I guess yeah!" still figuring out to deal with the lady, finding any solution with those instant taps of his foot. But in that tight-spotted situation, nothing was going to hit his mind.

A brief moment of silence – weird silence.

"Anyway, now that the two of us are alone," Mei Mei spoke mildly, "How about some…" a whisper. "Cute, little talks."

"Well, to be honest," the human cleared his throat, "I'm not really good! I mean, at talking! I mean, at cute, lil' talks so. . ."

"So. . .?" she wondered.

"So… I should go!" and the boy left like a sudden storm, leaving poor lady alone with a sad face.

The next day, it was Fulvio again with Po and Artur, checking out the empty streets of the valley for bandits and criminals that pink ribbon appeared again on the deserted streets.

"Hey, Fulvio!" Those flirting eyes dumbfounded the human again. After a slight pause, he fled, nowhere to be found. At night, in the Jade Palace, by those charming and alluring eyes he was found in the kitchen but the pink presence and the lady's aroma foretold Fulvio of her coming and in front of his eyes, he disappeared again!

Whether day or night, Jade Palace or the Valley, along or with friends around, there was no corner left where Fulvio could breathe peacefully or take a calm nap or sip the soup wholly. Whatever the place, whatever the situation, Mei Mei would appear like a ghost that would scare the heck out of Fulvio and suddenly would he flee without a word.

Just another day that Fulvio was wandering on his own, exhausted face looking at the pale moon of the night that again she appeared in the deserted street.

"What's up, cutie?"

With a contorted face of anger, Fulvio ignored the pink lady with a snort. But the beautiful panda (so considered by herself) would not give up quite easily. Walking side by side, step parallel to his, she asked, teasing, "Not in a mood to talk?" but no answer. Not even a grunt this time. "I was thinking of meeting you one final time before I leave back to the Panda village after three days because… you know… meeting new friends one last time and wishing good-byes, preparing dress, makeup and stuff takes time." Still silence from other side. "Hey, can't you say just one word… for MY sake?"

Out of the blue, those chubby hands clutched her shoulders and struck gently against a wall. Eyes, one filled with fire of anger while the other with the sparkles of wonder. "Enough of this flirting, okay?!" He shouted at the lady! "You might be thinking that there might be some slight thing called Love in my heart but the truth is that there is none! I do NOT like you, did ya hear?!You don't know my story! You know nothing about me! Just go back to the Panda village and have the same fun with that other panda guy Po told me about!" and those hands loosened and left with another angry grunt with the lady panda quiet.

"You… Your name…" Under the rose- pink lips she mumbled downheartedly. "…is Fulvio. I know your name." but the mumble could not touch the ears deafened by intense fire.

Where would the snow flake finally land on?

Night arrived again.

The swellings of the heart were being shared with the panda friend at the same place again. Po was delighted to know that his friend Fulvio could now share every last word inflicted by the girl he liked the most. One moment and the next would Fulvio share – some funny, some sad – and would Po grin and frown over those moments.

"Uh… I've heard from R and have also seen myself," the panda friend spoke carefully, afraid of collapsing the feelings. "You're interested in Mei Mei, right?" Prolonged gasp shook the boy. "Wha-Wha-What are you talking about?! I-I-I am not interested in her! Not at all! Nope! Never!"

"You sure?"

"Yeah! Dead sure!"

"Hm. Anyway she's gone.

"WHAT?!" A face colored in surprise! "But she was… she was going after three days! It's impossible! I don't believe it! How could she just—" The guy had no idea how much of truth he just blurted out in astonishment. At once, he stopped. But words could no longer be taken back.

"You… You mean you…. really… like her?!" Surprise written all over that chubby face.

"Uh… I, uh…. Yeah!" Sadly, his head turned down. "But it's no use. She's gone now." His voice felt defeated to Po.

"Hey, c'mon!" A gentle, friendly blow to his shoulder by that furry punch. "You're sitting here with a guy who knows the place to the valley."

"You… You do?"

"'Course, I do!" It was hope for the gloomy human, not a ray of hope but the sun itself. "Tomorrow, we'll leave to the Panda Village, okay?"

"Okay!" now, his face was brighter, like the moon.

The sun of the day brightens the moon of the night. And the flake finds itself a company.

Late night.

Something happened to Fulvio that he could not rest at all. Turning here and there but no sleep would come. Even Po's velvety fur couldn't lull him to sleep. Something was constantly pitching his insides.

"Po… PO…!" His whispers at first disturbed the peacefully sleeping panda but failed to awake him. "PO! I need help!" shaking the shoulder did the thing!

"Whaaaht?" The child-like sleepy panda, now disturbed, yawned and rubbed the eyes.

"Please, help me! I want to go!" Whisper intense, now changed to suppressed squeal.

"Go? Where?"

"To the Panda Village! I… I just can't take it anymore!"

"What?! Right now?!"

"Yes! I want to go to Mei Mei right now! Help me! Please!"

Those begging eyes. . . Po simply could just not ignore the pain on that contorted face. It was as if he felt the same pain what Fulvio felt. "Okay! Let's go!"

Finally, Po approved. As they both left the room, a smirk appeared on the eyes-closed human's face. So, Artur knew the truth, too?!

After they got out of the barracks, Po, using his _Stealth mode_ , achieved the scroll map to the Panda Village, just in case. And before the sun could shoot its first ray across the horizon, they both left without telling anyone.

"Po," Fulvio stated. "I… I'm sorry." He sounded sad a little.

"Huh? For what?" Asked Po as they ran through the forest of bamboos.

"I just… I just dragged you into my troubles. I'm troubling you, I know. I'm feeling really… bad."

"Are you stupid?" A sweet giggle the panda gave. "Why would I be troubled by your troubles?" A question on the eyes of that human. "You see, all of my friends, especially you guys, are very dear to me. Even if it takes me to plunge into a river of fire to save you guys, I'll gladly do that."

Those paces stopped at once… for reason unknown. Po turned. "What happened?"

One step forward… and an unforeseen hug!

"I… I don't know…" Broken voice, warm heart. "I don't… know how to thank you?" The warm-hearted human leaned back. "You are doing so much for me. Just thanking you will not pay the debt. So tell me, what can I do for you?"

"You sure are stupid." Po reflected a smirk. "Friendship is not a debt. I can't clearly define what it is but caring and loving each other and helping one another at least with the words, that's what I consider a true friendship.

"And when it comes to do something for me, let's just say that I want you to stay with me. You and Artur, you two are very dear to me. I've already lost two friends. I don't wanna lose you guys too… So… stay with me… till the end, okay?" The panda friend then squished those chubby cheeks with affection.

"Okay!" With haze of happiness in the eyes, Fulvio smiled.

"Whaddya think? Should we go now?"

"Heck Yeah!" Further pause felt useless. After that, the two left as fast as they could.

The sun had now shown itself, spreading its glory all across. While the two had almost crossed half way, there, in the Jade Palace, everyone was striving for the doors of the Hall of Heroes for they were in the middle of the training. None cared about Po and Fulvio for they were already told by R the truth of where and why the two had left. Everyone was happy indeed for their human fellow.

Now, as those huffs of the panting warriors reached the doors of the Hall, everyone was dumbfounded by the familiar appearance that gleamed in the eyes.

Out there, a strange feeling took place inside the panda's furry chest. Some sort of fear perhaps it was. At first, the panda tried to control the feeling but slowly and gradually, it was becoming stronger, difficult to control. He stopped!

"Po, what's the deal? What happened?"

"I… I dunno. I just have some strange feeling… some sort of intuition telling me to go back to the Jade Palace. Something's not right there."

"Gimme the map and go." Said Fulvio, with hands comforting his shoulders.

"But I can't leave you he—"

"Don't worry about me. People at the Jade Palace need you more than I do. Go!"

"Okay!" Po handed him the map and turned back, saying over his shoulder, "You can do it!"

"Mm-hmm." He gave a slight nod in return.

Opposite ways, opposite fates… And the consequence…?

Let's hope for this tender piece to live long.

Now, Fulvio had the map in his hands. One glance and another, he would track his way through to the village. Through the sky bridges and the mountains, terrains and the plains, forests and the rain, the bone-tired, panting guy struggled and did not stop even though he stumbled, slipped, and fell Every scratch on his body was a complete story in itself – a story of his unstoppable struggles.

Finally, the cold, freezing gust swished through his thin clothing, giving immense chill. It was the final quest to gain what he was on the verge of losing. There was no turning back now. A deep breath to muster the courage needed to struggle more… and there he was now piercing through the thick wall of snow.

Surely, his legs were freezing, he was not shivering but vibrating instead, the fingertips could no longer be felt as life appeared to leave those and yet… he did not stop and kept making his way through the haze wall by those frozen hands.

 _"I. . . I'm coming!"_ It was his inner struggle crying out. _"Mei. . . Mei Mei… I'm coming… for you! I'm. . . I am. . .!"_

The boy had reached the great wall of ice, but the weather had him pretty much ruined! The haze vapours in his breath, he could see them mix blend into the skies at this point. But he did not care about that for there were more important things.

A sudden flake crossed his eyes, being drifted by the winds.

Now, those impatient eyes looked here and there, scanning the great wall that stood between his destination but no further way could be found. An eye he gave to the map once again and saw that the Panda Village was just right ahead according to the map but… but it wasn't! There was just this great wall of snow covering almost half of the sky hiding into dense fog. Poor quivering soul alone in the icy hell was left with no option, or perhaps it could find no option.

"Whhh-Whhaat… What the…! The village should be… rrright hhere!" His lips were quivering, now crimson purple. At this moment, Fulvio could no longer feel his fingers for the warmth in his palms had long gone. "D-Dddarn it!"

For another brief moment, the same impatient eyes bewildered by the negative thoughts of losing his real love grew further eager. And due to the eagerness, his breaths rushed at once with the heart drumming, trying to break open the chest.

At once, he jumped and tried to cling on a peeking-out rock but the hands slipped and he fell. Again, he got up and jumped, clutching the same rock successfully this time! After that, another rock just above came to his sight. He stretched out the hand and grasped it, dragging the rest of the body against gravity.

Such strength was all thanks to his Kung Fu abilities he had learnt at the Jade Palace. But it turned out soon that this was not enough to climb up that terrible height. The height still blind to his distorted eyes required strength more than his capability.

Not even half way there that his chest started wheezing constantly. But the height was terrible enough to cause some serious damage. He gave one look down to the earth and was shaken by the distance he had crossed. Next time, he decided not to look again. His struggling claws with skin torn at the tips did not stop yet. Though bleeding, a little amount of strength left was still meant to be used in those hands; the same hands that pushed Mei Mei to a wall, clenching her shoulders in anger. . .

 _"I'm not… going to give up! Mei Mei… just a little… more… Just a little. . ."_ but what was that?! Those fingers slipped out of the blue… and human fell all the way down to the ground again!

On the impact upon the ground adorned with few layers of white, cotton-soft snow, following painful yelps and a few rushing wheezes escaped some consistent, deep breaths with intense groans. Lying straight, facing to the sky, his eyes blurred with the haze still tried to seek a way up to the village.

While the map flew by the breathing gusts, fading into the white, his ice-frozen lips gave some constant, dying quivers. "I. . . I. . . I. . . m. . . com. . . in. . . Mei. . ." but nothing further could escape those lips after that. The last thing his blurred, darkening vision saw was something black and white landing below… perhaps for his aid.

The flake finally lands.

 _"He's freezing to death! Chances are very rare… but I hope he makes it."_

 _"He'll have to! For my sake!"_

 _"I'll try my best, Mei Mei."_

 _"Please… save him! Make him open his eyes again!"_

The dialogue between Li and Mei Mei brought a part of his back to life and he struggled with opening his eyes that got both of their attention.

The shirtless body was actually drenched in bandages and herbs all over nearby the yellow-glowing fire – the room that belonged to Li.

"Are… Are you alright?!" It was the contorted face of the beautiful panda and her voice shivering in pain that touched Fulvio's senses, giving them some life. She put over the shirtless body a warm blanket as Li asked her to. In return, the boy smiled as much as those frozen lips could but that, in reality, was a very dim smile almost on the verge of vanishing again. On that smile, her eyes so carefully adorned trickled tears over her furry cheeks gleaming by the yellow glow.

Her beloved wanted to speak but no word would come out except a few broken utterances.

"Please, don't speak anything." The male panda Li requested.

"Just why…" Her painful voice asked. "Just why did you go through so much?! You… You loved me, right?" A slight nod at the best in return. "You should've told me earlier!"

 _"How could I…?"_ His heart spoke, but strange fact was that only Mei Mei could listen to his every word now! _"I was so much afraid!"_

"Afraid… of what?" asked Mei Mei. Li, on the other hand, could not understand why Mei Mei was acting like that.

"Afraid… of losing you just like I lost her."

The words shook her! But then the heart-broken panda turned even warmer. "You are an idiot!"

Another smile again. _"Yes. I am an idiot… But I am your idiot."_

After the pink smile, a brief moment of grief and then the lady panda spoke again, "I know something about you."

 _"You do?"_

"Yes. Your name… It's… Fulvio."

His name whispered by the lips of his beloved felt rejuvenating as he felt a warm breath inside his chest.

"Since the day I saw you," she added. "I always thought we'd make a good, cure couple… And hey, you were worried about that other panda I liked, right? He left the village months ago. It's just you and me now." She sniffled.

 _"I'm… I'm glad."_ A moment of pain again. . . _"Mei?"_

"Hm?"

 _"Are you happy now?"_

"Yes. I am."

 _"Good. Then, I guess, it's time… to go."_

"Go? What do you mean?" But soon, she realized what he actually meant.

"No! You're not going to leave, right? You're-You're just joking, right? Stay with me, Fulvio! Stay with me! Please! Plea. . ."

 _"Why… can't !... hear anything? She's… talking, right? She's… Why can't I see her? Why is it completely dark? It is scaring. I'm scared of it… Is it… done for me…? I guess so. But I am happy that I met you. . . I wonder if Po made it or not. . ."_

The snow flake finally melts.

For she knew that her beloved had reached the final destiny, she cried at his chest while Li looked at the snow-white face, totally wonderstricken.

Out there, the panda friend felt some strange feeling that stopped his paces at once near the entrance to the valley. Po turned around to look back as if a call had been made to him in Fulvio's voice, but there was no one behind. His eyes sought for the figure but no soul to be witnessed.

After a pause of that call, the panda realized his mission and headed back to the Jade Palace again. On reaching the front door of the hall, what he saw were badly defeated bodies of all the warriors and masters and standing in the front was the cold-eyed, solemn-hearted… Kay.

Let's see where this confrontation goes…


	8. Chapter 08:

**Chapter 08:** **;**

Their sights clashed!

Again, the past reflected in front of the green eyes – of how he lost his brother – and slowly did the ferocity crawl over his nerves. "Why… Just why the heck are you alive?!"

"After falling from that deadly height," those partially opening lips murmured. "I got stuck into a tree. A few days of rest… and here I am now."

"You… should've died that day!" The panda overwhelmed by anger huffed.

"Let's fight somewhere else." Without bowing down the head, his cold eyes gave a brief look to those defeated warriors of the Jade Palace. "There's so much mess I've made in here."

"Stop screwing with me!"

"If you don't want to change the place," his silent pace stepped forth. "Then I will." and a thrust took the panda warrior down to the battle arena. Though it hurt but Po stood on his feet back again.

Before complete restoration, the dark warrior at once attacked with a kick that just missed the panda's face as he tugged back. Another surprising kick from the resting foot dodged by that chubby forearm! The two opposing forces appeared equal.

"Let's say you win this battle." Spoke the solemn voice. "What are you going to do with me then?"

The feet and the forearm retreated but those heavy punches struck instead, still forcing the bodies back.

"So you've decided to lose for this time, huh?" said the panda.

Both the warriors pulled back and thrust forth again but with even more violence. There were those kicks and blows but dodging and shielding as well from both sides. The battle was gradually heating up for both now started giving their all.

Up high and a sudden landing with the rushing leg that was meant to hit the panda below but damaged the ground instead. In that slight amount of moment, the panda delivered a kick to the right face that turned his head around but Kay, in return, launched as well unforeseen fist in the left face.

But what was that?!

Just one blow of that furry leg shot the dark warrior outside the Jade palace! Kay stood up after brief recovery and found himself in front of the Jade's gates! Po came rushing, throwing his kick over the young one but dodged. Now, both were outside, fighting in the breeze of the valley.

His claw came towards the throat but was deflected aside by the panda's elbow. Po grabbed the same claw and twisted it behind his back. Kay used the other arm in offence but it as well was twisted on his back. A slight jerk to both of his feet and now was the human boy on the ground, with his face contorted by physical pain.

"This is where it ends!" Po thundered. "I'm gonna send you to the Chorh Gom prison for lifetime!"

"Not so easy!"

Those wrists appeared to now hold some new sort of power that he forced himself out of that complete block, kicking back the panda. "It has just started yet." Grunted the boy.

Kay cracked his head to the right and after that… a deadly blow went right in the panda's stomach, throwing him up high. In the mid-air came a violent kick to the head, shooting Po back to the ground. Those furry steps staggered and the panda was about to stumble to ground on getting up that a round, low-kick tossed him again while the other ankle-blow shot him right in the wall.

The jade wall cracked, leaving a red patch of the panda's blood above the eye.

Still not enough.

Again did the Dragon Warrior get up without giving a darn about the pain and ran directly into the human forcefully that threw both of them down those infinite stairs! Now, the opposites were rolling down, clenching each other's body; denting each other's face. To the skinny human, even though his durability was beastly, the nose of those infinite stairs was indeed doing a terrible harm to his back. But unlike the boy, that panda had pretty much grown accustomed to that sort of pain because of his very first contact to it after being thrown down by Shifu, and also in the battle against Tai Lung. So, it was no big deal.

After hundreds of painful rolls and spins, both warriors ended up totally damaged down the stairs, alarming the people of the valley around. For none had watched a terrible fight like that one before, everyone around was in panic and fled away in the corners, behind the trees, wooden carts, and inside their houses – frightful gazes stuck on the two drenched in blood.

Those quivering limbs and trembling claws helped the two get up. But the black warrior fell to the knees at once, coughing all red.

"Give… up!" Po panted.

Few puffs taken and he got up once again with a smirk unforeseen. "Not… yet."

"Then… I'll make you give up." And a pace that brought Po closer than expected towards him. Furry leg was coming at the boy but was blocked by the forearms, shooting him at the wall behind. One more cough of blood… and those human eyes saw after the gleaming blood drops a kick coming from aside. It was far late for the terrible blow bashed the boy aside. With one jump so high and the greatest impact of that giant body upon the skinny one, the fight seemed over.

Dust all around settled, revealing the two figures.

Kay, who seemed unstoppable… was finally defeated…! And what next…?!

His hazy, narrow eyes kept the dying sight at the sky. "Hey…" broken husk escaped the lips. "Won't you… kill me?"

Looking at the wounded, sad face with pity, the panda immersed in injuries asked, "Why should I do that?"

"I… I killed your brother… I deserve to die, don't I?"

"Taking you to the prison, that would be enough for vengeance."

"Darn you! Just kill me already, man!" Still, Kay did not move, eyes stuck on the sky as before.

The change of voice and that of words reflecting damage of the inside did make the panda curious. "Why are you so much bent on getting yourself killed, tell me?"

"Heh!" Half smirk on lips, and a glittering tear slipped down the temple of his face. "Gonna die anyway. But I wanna get punished for what I did to everyone."

"Are you crazy?! First, you commit crimes all-over the valley and then you just wanna get punished for that?!"

"Po…" For the first time after such a long while, the boy called the panda by his name, and in soft tone! For Po, it was greatly startling and surprising. "Please, I beg of you… Just kill me right now!" Now, many tears escaped his eyes, visible to the astounded face!

"You…! You're… crying?!"

The damaged boy on that astounded gaze fixed at him was so ashamed that he crinkled to the side, covering his face in his arms. Silent snivels and sobs could be heard and so could his trembling be seen. Those hands so gentle tried to apprehend the situation of the boy… and so they moved toward, shaking tenderly his shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong?" For the crying boy did not reply, Po crouched aside and asked again with some warmth, "What's wrong? You can tell me, Kay."

On hearing his name, the boy now turned around and got up, face to face with Po. His face was drenched in glitters mixed with blood, now partially washed. "Everyone… thinks of me as a traitor, criminal, a murderer… but the truth is not that." Curiosity added more wrinkles on that furry forehead. Kay continued, "That night, that idiot Dan argued with me that I should come back no matter what happens in the future. There was that urn from the Hall of Heroes in his hands. During the argument, it slipped and broke. He was just about to leave that he slipped and fell on those sharp pieces. I felt so helpless that I could do nothing but just stand and watch him writhe and… and… die!" At this point, the poor guy burst again.

"You… You were not the one… to kill him?!" Another truth had finally been revealed upon the panda warrior.

"No. Till my last breath, I just-just wanted to help my friends because..." Kay sobbed again. "Because… I'm about to die." And the final curtain forbidding the light was removed!

"What do you mean? No one's dying here!" The truth felt bitter to the panda… as it always is.

"This is the fact, Po. Me and Dan, we both were considered the life of the campus. We were the most glowing man among all. One day, I just fell and fainted, and when I opened my eyes, found myself in hospital. There, I got to know that I was on the final stages of cancer, a disease on a stage where it is no longer curable. I was then left with only a few more days. Only Dan and my family knew about it, no one else.

"With days passing, an idea got into my mind: Only if I can make people hate me, no one would be sad at my death. And from that moment on, I started doing acts that made people hate me real hard. My family hated me, everyone around hated me. Dan was the only one left who knew this truth of mine and promised to stay till the very end.

"There was my dad's friend who was a scientist in medicines. He had some sorta experiment done on me, thinking that the disease would be killed but it was partially useless on the part of killing disease. But it really gave me massive strength as you all saw in my fights.

"With my physicist dad working on theories of multiverse and time-travelling, I myself became his volunteer on knowing that he was going to do a multiverse experiment for we both knew I was about to die. It was meant to be just me to make it here but something happened that dragged the four of us friends in your people's world. The watch I have shows how much time we've left to head back to our world. We've got only a couple of days. Anyway, theories tell that the only dark point is that if one of us dies here, he would be forgotten in that world forever." Po's ultimately astounded face was worth giving a watch.

"Po," Kay continued. "Whatever I did till this point, I did so that I can solve everyone's problem… not to cause any. I know my ways were harsh and rough but in the end, those were effective. Remember, how I dragged Artur to the point where he had no choice but to fight you. And how I abducted Tigress so that you can tell your truth to her; the truth of how much you actually love her.

At this point, Po could not face the boy considered the enemy by everyone.

"Po, do you know why I did not fight to the max today?"

Without raising his head, making eye contact, Po sadly asked, "Why?"

"Because I wanted to die… by your hands." Nothing could make Po more surprised than those words Kay just spoke. His warm hand drenched in blood lovingly touched that furry, chubby cheek and raised Po's head to meet his eyes. "Want me to tell you a truth? Dunno why but I see Dan's soul inside of you. You… are just like him!"

Now so heartbroken, the panda could no longer fight against his tears. Grasping the human hand, those claws pulled the body toward and squeezed him tightly in his chest out of love… and sadness, dripping all the tears.

"You will not die! No one will! I'm here with you! Promise me that you'll not die!"

Kay gave a thought, a brief one, then spoke in mournful tone, "Can't say anything… but I promise enough to live from now on instead of striving to die."

"That… Even that'll do for now. Thanks. . ." Po wanted to speak more to strengthen his friend but he just realized that it was too late! Kay had already dimmed.

Once again, he felt pain all over, but added to the former pain was some pinching pain too. First things he saw following his broken groan were the acupuncture needles implanted over the clothless body excluding the private parts still covered by his underpants. Secondly, he noticed his stomach oddly hollow! Upon that, Kay felt sudden hunger.

Po, at that moment, entered the room appearing to be situated in the barracks, having all the stuff Po was fanboy of! It was Po's very room!

"You're awake!" A cheerful smile from the friendly panda appearing almost a laugh.

"I… I think so!" Kay tried to move but Po suddenly forbid him to do so for that would cause ill effect on his bone-thin body. "Anyway, what do we gotta do with these needles?"

"Once you eat some nutrients, I'll have them removed quickly so don't worry." A bowl of hot soup and some dumplings Po put aside and sat there with him.

"Know what? This is so friggin' embarrassing!" The human boy was hiding his eyes from Po.

"Embarrassing? What?" Those round, wide, cute eyes Po gave to him, mildly curious.

"C'mon! Don't look at me like this! I'm not wearing anything!"

"Hey, are you dumb? Look at me. I myself just wear shorts every day… Aaand… I'm not a lady too! We're both men!"

"Well, true indeed." Kay giggled. "But have you ever given thought about just wearing your shorts when in front of Tigress?"

"Uh… HEY! Don't say things like that! You're making me feel embarrassed now!" Irritatingly, the panda mumbled in a cute manner that made Kay giggle again.

"By the way, I'm glad that you told Tigress the truth."

"What?! You knew?!"

"'Course, I knew! I was there the whole time watching up from a house."

"That's awesome! Anyway, you should eat something now."

"How am I supposed to?" The needle-drenched boy gave an eye to all the needles around.

"No big deal!" Po dipped the spoon into the soup. "I'll help ya out." One after another after giving a cold puff to the hot soup, Po warmly gave Kay mouthfuls, feeding him on. "Man, you're decreased to bones!"

"Oh really?! Reminds me again of how many time I've spent sleeping."

"Uh…" It appeared as if Po did not want to tell… or was actually nervous about the answer, but why…?

"Hey, is there a problem?"

"Uh… actually, it's been… five days."

The boy spilled the soup at once. "FIVE DAYS?! FIVE FRIGGIN' DAYS?!

"Wow there! That's nothing to worry about! You'll get up soon on your legs."

"'Kay…! Okay! Anyway, how's everyone doing?"

"They… They're fine!" The panda's answer seemed doubtful. "I've told everyone of the truth about you. They were glad to know."

Those sad expressions of the chubby face got Kay's mind and he asked again, this time, a little solemnly," Po, how is everyone doing?"

"I-I told you. They're fine!" Eyes steeling, Po replied.

"Po. The truth. Tell me."

Solemn and cold tone made the panda spill the truth at once. "OKAY! Okay! I'll tell you everything! That day, after you fainted, I got you up and told everyone the truth about you. They were all surprised yet glad to know that Zeng came on the spot, telling us that Fulvio had died there in the Panda Village."

"WHAT?!" He was really having a tough time gulping the truth. He was not even in the slight to accept it at all! "This is no true! He was alive! Just how the heck did he... die?! I don't… I don't believe it!"

"I know how you feel. It's legit." His face melted down slightly. "We, all of us here, were having the same belief; the belief that he isn't dead. But the truth was that the snow of the Panda Village dragged him to limitless life. Even the Chi couldn't bring him back to life… We had his funeral held after that when brought here.

"We were just going through hard times that _he_ came and took many among us!"

" _He_?" Kay asked. "Who?"

"Your friend…" His head raised and stiffened again. "My brother… Daniel."

Another truth impossible to be believed.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?!" A sudden burst! "ARE YOU EVEN IN YOUR SENSES?!"

"I am…" Calmly, Po replied. "Believe me or not. He's very much alive! And the reason, Artur thought, of his revival and being so negative was the same urn – the smoke that appeared every time the broken urn was touched." That lead Kay into thinking while Po continued, "After he came, he left no single thing untouched. He took many people of the valley, turning them into his wolfish army. Even Master Shifu and the Five are gone! Just me, Artur, you are alive now… It was just as Shifu predicted: The valley will be covered by the shadow of evil and the trouble would be related with you."

"If that's the case," Spoke the boy now serious about the matter. "Then let's stop wasting further time and move right now."

"But you're in no condition to…"

Kay had now already removed away all the needles and stood up, with a smirk, "Your food really was tasty. It'd do great in battle, I know."

An unnoticeable smirk on the panda's face and he got up too. After Kay, holding it to his chest which gave his best friend's nostalgic scent, wore the clothing and covered the body with the pitch-black, long coat sweeping the ground, solemnly yet mildly he said, "Time to move."

In the next room, both had the bandaged, battle-tired Artur given a look of sympathy and then went out of the barracks.

"I'm glad…" The boy mumbled.

"For what?" asked the panda friend.

"For giving me this second life."

"What… do you mean?"

"Every moment I waited impatiently for those tasks to be accomplished so that I could die… After watching Dan die in my hands instead, it was hard to accept the truth. I did not want him to face death before me because he was supposed to be the one to kill me…" A look of astonishment from Po. "He was the one and only who knew the truth, the one who knew everything about me and yet accepted me. That's why death by his hands would've been… a pleasure to me. I wanted to die so bad that way by your hands this time but instead you game me a new life. Thanks for that!"

More words were to be uttered that there came the view so soul-terrifying. There was no valley but smoke covering the whole of it. To up the stairs of the Jade, the breeze once used to be cool and fresh, now brought with it uncomfortable warmth and ashes of the burn.

"What the. . ." Words remained unspoken.

"This is what _he_ did. There's nothing left. No friends, no families, no home… nothing. . ."

One step taken down and unexpected eruption of the ground…! Pure white reflecting in the coal-black eyes. The same jade, smoky eyes that defines death as the most painful, sadistic nature, stripes and flaps wavering around. . . Befriended Enemies facing again!

"Yolo, suckers~! Hope ya doin' amazing~!" *a smirk that kills all*

This world is. . .


	9. Chapter 09: All the world stained black

**Chapter 09: All the world is stained black**

 _I wanted him to live…_

 _'Cause I wanted him to die…_

 _For taking something…_

 _Something very, very close to my heart…_

 _And that was. . ._

Deceptive. Cruel. Tragic. Death.

This world is nothing but a massive mass of all the negative forces. . .

What happens when the enemies once befriended meet...?

"Finally," a calm, snakey whisper. "Ya here!"

"Dan..." His mumble so sad and despaired... "Dan... Why...?"

"Why...? Ya ask whyyyyyyyyy...?" The white evil dragged Kay toward himself with the coat, whispering, "Don'cha remember ya'r the one who started... by betrayin' me! Now, lemme end it very very very very peeeeeacefully..."

"I am not fighting you."

"You will." A kick unpredicted sent Kay way back into the Jade Palace, finally ending up bouncing on the arena ground.

Po was about to deliver a blow unintended that another kick threw him down the stairs. "Serves ya right, fur ball!"

"Just... what do you want?" The boy, slightly damaged, now got up, steps staggering.

Entering steps spoke, "Whadda I want, whadda I want, whadda I want...? Lemme guess... To kill ya - revenge."

"Revenge? Of what?"

"Oh, my dear Kay! Don'cha do that 'question face' to me. Ya know, don'cha? When I wanted ya to stay with me till ye'r last breath, you really didn't give a single damn and left away...! That face that didn't give a single, slight damn - that cold mask, I wanna kill it so baaaaaad!"

Another punch came Kay's way but both hands grasped it. "That's not gonna happen. I've changed now."

But the white soul so dark inside shifted all the strength into another fist that went straight into the stomach. "Then take this!" Only little had Kay hurled by the mighty force that an elbow-blow came to the back.

Poor warrior bashed on the ground now, blood spilling from the mouth, finding its way to the white step.

"Awwww, dead already?! The fun ain't even begun yet!"

From behind the collar, the boy was tossed high in the air again. A thrust against the ground and now was the white one in the air, equal to Kay. Heavy kick to the face and way there poor Kay was shot right into the Hall of Heroes. Poor lad, staggering and stumbling, got up again while from the mists appeared the white one.

"Why, Kay, why... Just why so weak have ya turned. . .?! Rigid face, cold eyes... where are they gone?! Huh? Huh?! HUH...?!" Dancing steps reached him and the hand so tissue-white grabbed the hair, heads bumping, whisper shaking, "So pathetic. So weak. I never left ya like that, my dear Kay! Ya'r waaaay stronger back then. But now... don' make me laugh!" and poor creature was thrown like nothing. "After I'm done with ya, I'm gonna turn ya into one o' my servants... but a special one! HAH!"

The hazy smoke collected in his hand formed a thin-bladed katana and there he swished that blade almost kissing Kay's cheek. "Sadly, I've gotta end it this way even though I don't want to." And now, he raised the blade high and rushed it suddenly toward the throat that all of a sudden, an unseen force shot him at the wall.

"You fine, Kay?" the voice unknown asked.

A familiar figure reflected in those wonderstricken eyes once used to be solemn. "Y-Yes."

It was Artur drenched in some wounds but able to fight. "Don't worry, buddy. You've got company here." A smile of reassurance he gave that fouled Kay to some extent and he got up, thanking his friend.

On watching who the person was to give him such a good push, Dan burst at once, "The hell, dammit! YOU! You are so soo sooooo not needed here!"

"Or perhaps you're the one not needed here!" Artur bounced.

The defensive answer brought a snigger so demonic that crawled over the white face, reflecting his darkest intentions.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Kung Fu temple, the panda opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by his former warrior-friends now turned pitch white instead of normal, and eyes greenish and smokey. All of them were taking their battle stance around him, eyes fixed as if going to eat him just now. Surely, Po was both astounded and despaired. Again, he had to fight his friends no matter who it was. That was the only choice Po had.

He got up, strengthened his fists, closed his eyes, and let a sigh out. Now, he was ready. The first strike came from slithery Viper but those claws got hold of her and threw her on Mantis ready to attack. The rest of the three attacked at once but Po somehow managed to get out of their dangerous circle.

Monkey and Crane, both were delivering those brutal fists and kicks just as equal but that panda would avoid them all through his improvised movements. One punch passed above the head, the kick below the pit; those blade-like feathers slicing slightly his fur while the rock-solid tail almost hurting his forearms. One after another, their blows kept Po sweeping back that the panda low-kicked both, tripping them surprisingly, and then landed that giant body of his, knocking both out in an instant!

He thought it was over but a blow from behind threw the panda. He got up, thinking who it was and found Tigress. No big surprise.

"Sorry, Ti! I've gotta do this no matter what." But he got a furious growl back instead.

Both rushed at once. Tigress' first kick was caught suddenly but Po didn't saw the next one coming and felt pain in the right face as it hit him. It was like a rock hitting his face! But Kung Fu had made him stronger. That high jump and shooting kick was coming his way but the panda warrior caught hold of it with both hands. A sudden turn he gave and locked her both fierce claws and the upper body with one hand while the other was covering her face partially, not leaving a space for a single breath.

It appeared that he could use no fist against her so he had to come up with a different plan – knocking her out by closing her breath – but it was really tough to keep the wild Tigress like that for long. Her savage movements of letting go were making it harder. Po was using the opposite force but out of the blue, her kick hit Po's _tenders_ which loosened all the forces he was struggling.

For a few moments, poor guy had to retreat and keep holding his tenders while yelping, "Why does the universe know… only this weak point of mine?!" Tigress wouldn't understand a word but give a grumble or two instead. After a few deep breaths, Po got up again, blocked and avoided her ferocious claws, applied the same lock again but this time also had her one leg locked in his both furry legs. It surely was a tough struggle but Po finally succeeded in knocking her out; and hence, defeating her.

He then gradually laid down her fainted body over the ground, watching it with sadness. "Tigress, I'll do something about it. Soon enough. . ."

Angry face which was once grumpy, little body wrapped partially in jade cloak, big ears twitching. . . This time, it was the grandmaster Po faced.

"Come on! I've gotta climb all those stairs, Master! I don't have time for this!" A realization he again felt and turned around. What he faced this time were the citizens of the valley turned same impure white!

A view unpredicted!

So hard to face the reality again. Not because he was weak but he could not fight his own grandmaster, his father, and the rest of the citizen friends… That's why he, at once, galloped up to the stairs of the Jade Palace all in nervousness and sadness while the rest ran after.

Both Kay and Artur were thrown back, damaged. But they did not give up, and got up again, striking their limbs against his but no effect would be delivered. Completely useless. While that dark, clouded soul sniggered, they both multiplied their forces, giving hits at every acupuncture point they've seen but his dodgings and blockings were so tricky that they'd bounce back their own blows to them instead, with Dan repeating, "Hit me, hit me, hit me if ya can can can...!" And a roundhouse kick again shot them both at Master Flying Rhino's armour, scattering it to pieces around.

"Ah! Come ooooon!" That white-faced soul shouted up at the roof. "Unlike that pathetic weakling, ya'r stronger... waaaaay stronger, Kay! Ya can go straight for the kill, y'know?

"Why should I..." The boy coughed harsh. "Why should I even go... that much brutal? There must be some other way to bring you and everyone back to normal. I just have to find that way. No other reason beside that."

"Huuuuuhhhh?! FINE! If ya won't kill me for no reason, I'll have ya given one then... a well-damned reason~!" *smirk increases*

Down there was trouble.

Po was not accustomed to those stairs which probably appeared limitless to his eyes. His lungs were out of breath but still his legs kept on, stumbling and moving. Once again, the guy so suffocating gave a look to the back and what he found was the same massive army of undefeatable dark souls bent on killing him.

It appeared that him reaching almost the middle of those never-ending stairs and the tenacity of the corrupted army had brought all the hope to the bottom – hope that Po could go up and save his friends, fighting the root cause of all the corruption. Just that hope was given up upon, one of those corrupted citizens seized his legs, throwing him face-on. Had he just turned around to have a glance of who it was that all of them, at once, started pulling his limbs out with those piercing claws using all the force while some biting him wherever those poisonous canines could, injecting the same corruption inside that pure soul as well! He struggled but against the whole valley, it was effortless.

Those yelps and cries were left unheard… disappeared somewhere into the heavens.

 _A reason…?! What do you even mean?_

 _Soon, Kay, soon! Ye'r gonna know! Just ya wait!_

Outer and inner, both conflicts were clashing.

"It's… It's way hard to… lift even a finger against him now! What are we… What are we supposed to do?" Artur breaths were full also for he had given him all in that final battle.

Kay answered as he helped his friend get up, "Just have some breaths but keep your eyes open." Artur nodded in return.

"Whaaat?! Gonna fight alone again?!" Dan's mischievous grins would still bounce through the hall.

"Seems so… old friend." A remark! "But this time, I'll—"

"Stop playin' around!" From somewhere came a whisper so cold.

The white figure was gone! His eyes could no longer see him. A painful screech his ears heard and looked back. A katana blade was there… stuck in R's shoulder, nailed in the pillar behind. Hardly, Kay took a step to aid that the white smoke rained over him many heavy blows, and a kick then shot the poor guy way back on the library of the thousand scrolls, now many destroyed.

"Ya alive?" He bent all down to his face and after hearing a yelp of pain, he concluded, "Ah! Alive!"

Still, that dark soul dressed as white was not done that he grasped the neck and shot once again his old friend up high at the gold dragon statue which once held the scroll of the Dragon Warrior. The impact was so rough that the damaged human cracked that statue and fell into the Moon Lake, and following him was that whole giant structure falling upon him!

"NO!" Artur's cry predicted that his friend was pretty dead by the fall of that gigantic stature. So saddened and despaired. . .

"Shut the hell up, dude! That rascal ain't dead yet! Don'cha cry, lil' momma's boy! HaHAA!"

"YOU! I AM NOT GOING TO LEAVE YOU FOR THIS!" Tears in his eyes, but burning anger inside the heart.

"Ooo… I'm scared…! Anyway, let's just drop out the act already! I'm gonna show ya he ain't dead!" With a sudden force of just one kick, that sculpture flew, shattering the wall where once lived the library.

Pool was blood-red! And from that blood-red, the white hand dipped inside and pulled out the boy fully drenched, not only in water… but in wounds too.

"Still breathin'! See! Told ya he was alive! Not a weakling like ya!"

"Kay, you can hear me, right? Kay!" Artur was worried about him but another yelp that escaped comforted him to some extent that his friend was very much alive.

"It's time… that I bring 'The End' to your life, whaddya think?"

"Po will be coming any moment now!" Artur's eyes were full of anger. "He'll come and—"taking out the stuck blade in his shoulder so roughly and suddenly made him cry out.

That white-face grasped the neck and held high while Artur struggled. "Yeah, yeah! He'll be comin'! That's what I'm waitin' for!" and the door of the Hall bang-opened so sudden! And there stood… Po. "Aaaah! Think of the devil. . ."

Dan threw the boy, and when Artur, instead of the same Po he hug-slept with, he cried with, and smiled and laughed with… there was a wolfish beast with same poisonous canines, beastly claws, pointed ears, haze-white skin, and eyes so poison green! Even theDragon Warrior has lost his sanity!

Such a heart-breaking view of his dearest friend was the greatest shock for Artur. A tear crawled down his cheek. "Po…?" and then he moved a step. "Po…? What happened… to you?"

"Nothin' special! Just some slight changes, ya see!"

As if Artur wanted to bring his panda friend back, unknowingly, he crawled… and now was about to get up and sprint that the same blade went right through his heart!

It hurt… It hurt a lot. But the pain of watching his best bud losing sanity and becoming something else - something unimaginable - was far more hurting to him. The blade was stuck and he fell to the ground but still did not give up! He crawled toward Po with his dripping blood slowly taking the soul out of his body.

A few moment as the white demon pulled the blade out of him, Artur finally made it to his panda friend, falling in his feet. "P…Po…! Po…!" but there still was the same evilness in those eyes totally vague. "We… need you, Po! The whole valley… Tigress needs you…!" But sadly, no change at all.

"Don't waste ya'r time on foolish things! Just die already, dammit!" Those sadistic eyes watched him die, and even enjoyed every moment more and more as the blood crawled, soaking the clothes red!

The boy then pulled himself up and managed to hug Po tightly, whispering his final breaths, "Hey, Po… You told me once… that you'd… that you'd show me the Dragon Warrior inside yourself… I want to… I want to see it now. Po, show me… show me…" and the boy dealing with death now thumped on the ground so helplessly… but what was that…? Those furry hands had his dying body caught already before even touching the floor!

An explosion occurred – a golden one – and within a glimpse, the beast insane had now turned into the Dragon Warrior, with the same hat, the same cloak. . .!

"R, this is… my Dragon Warrior form." The polite word and soft manner showed Artur that Po was back finally. "You like it?"

"Y…Yeah! You look… You look so handsome in it!" His quivering hands now touched his chubby cheek to feel the warmth one final time. "I'm glad… to see you like this."

"WHAT THE… WHAT THE HELL!" Daniel, the dark soul's kick was about to hit the Dragon Warrior's face that a sudden jolt threw him away. And now?!

"Po, take him outside. Sadly, Artur's no more alive." It was Kay with voice sounding cold and solemn just like the days when he acted all bad and evil.

Po sniveled, "But… But I wanna—"

"You're in no condition to fight. Just go outside and let his soul leave peacefully. Do you understand?"

"O… Okay."

So Kay helped Po take Artur's dead body outside the hall and with a final smile, spoke his words assuming to be final, "This is my fight. He wanted to give me a reason to kill him… And now, he did. Later. . ."

With Po watching Kay shutting the giant door of the hall with his eyes so watery and face despaired, Po had also assumed that this was going to be his only friend's final battle as well.

"Ya really gave me a good beatin'! 10 points!" and with finishing his words, his pure white blade appeared, made out of smoke. Opposite to him, Kay had none so he simply picked up the pitch black one that had been recently stabbed in late R's body.

"Let's start this." The cold tone just like before.

Dan's smirk grew wider now. "Getting' serious, ain'cha?"

Steps ready, postures firm, blades gripped… both the warriors – the good and the bad, the white and the black – thrust their first step and there clashed the two blades reflecting each other's faces, quivering together.

"Powerful, eh, ehhh!" A remark. But did he not realize that one katana blade was already through his left arm! An unseen, unpredicted attack it was that left him in wonders! " _Just when did the hell he—_ " Three star blades in his back. Among that one-sided battle, Daniel managed somehow to get that fixed blade in his arm out and the stars from his body detached. "Show me ye'rself! Where the hell are ya?!" but those smoky eyes found no evidence of his befriended enemy.

There was just something black leaving green slashes on his white body as it passed unforeseen. That evil spirit tried his best to at least touch his white blade but all he did was just wave his sword here and there.

"C'mon. Kill this cold mask now. That's all you wanted to do, right?" His dark shade spoke, voice coming from all sides.

"Gimme a break, dammit!" and again, two blades nailing his both palms together to the ground while the other two nailing his legs in the same manner as his palms. White Dan cried out of pain for the first time! "You son of a…! Not lettin' you go easily! I'll kill ya! I'll friggin—"

"You were the one who started it, right?" Kay ruffled his hair, picking up the black blade. "Now, I'm gonna be the one to end it. I loved you so much and yet… you took _that_ from me."

"What?! Just what the hell are ya talking abo—"

The blade had already gone through his white heart now as Kay spoke with the same solemnity, "Don't try to hate me too much, okay?"

As his white soul started vanishing into smoke, it appeared as if Dan finally understood something or perhaps recalled a memory. "Damn you! I now know…! I fear you so much now. A bastard like you… should've died a long time ago. You are… the worst." And everything was gone.

The doors of the Hall of Heroes finally opens and from within comes out… Kay not only hidden in black but also wrapping the slight of his chest in the white cloth – a remnant of his evil friend.

"Kay?! You… You're alive?!" Though Po had his face dried already but his puffy eyes foretold how much had he cried upon his little friend's death.

"Well," the same solemn manner. "I'm pretty sure I am alive."

"I'm glad. At least you could make it…" the panda weakened by grief gave a look to his dead friend in his arms. "…unlike others. . ."

"Po?"

"What?"

"Could you give me a hug… one last time?"

"WHAT?! Don't you tell me that you too…?!"

"I dunno but… I need it… just a hug, Po."

"O-Okay…" How sadly Po got up and how calmly the panda placed his only human friend alive in his thick forearms, the moment of unconditional love was worth giving a watch. "Please! Not you, Kay, not you. I'd be really sad if you also left me!"

"I'd be also sad, Po…" Kay slowly moved his hand over Po's head, perhaps out of love. "I'd also be sad if you… if you left me." Po's face drenched in despair and grief now turned contorted slowly?! "Long live the Dragon Warrior. . ." He whispered in Po's ears.

As Kay calmly backed one step, Po fell on the knees. "Why… would you. . .?!"

"Long live the Dragon Warrior. . ."

"Why would you do this to me?!" Po asked in pain, holding his bleeding heart!

The blade in Kay's hand was now wet with Po's blood on it for Kay had that blade pierced and pulled out from Po already!

"Ha… Ha… Haha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…..!" The evil laugh scatters through the sky!

"What the… Just… who are you?!" Though his blood just wouldn't stop gushing out, Po still held the deep wound, vision blurring and darkening.

"Daniel… I wanted him to live… 'Cause I wanted him to die… For taking something… Something very, very close to my heart… And that was… _her_. Before we all came here, I liked a girl in my campus. Every time I decided to tell her about my feelings, I stepped but was afraid… 'I'm gonna tell her today. I'm gonna tell her today!' Those fake promises I made to myself… huh!

"One day, when I finally decided to tell her, it was that bastard Daniel who had taken her from me already. I told Daniel that she was mine but he didn't give a damn about me at all! We fought over it and didn't talk after that. But who knew that poor girl would die so soon in a car accident?

"After that, Daniel apologized but that was useless! I did forgive but never forgot! Just a moment was all I needed… and see that the missing in the experiment bringing us here was what came as an opportunity! Every moment, I was bent so hard to kill him and look! I finally did it today!

Po was now slowly losing consciousness while Kay moved on, "Know what? When I came here and met Tigress, she was just the same as her in every aspect…! And I guess you know the rest of the story; how I liked her but YOU were the one to take her from me this time! YOU, PO! THE ONE I CONSIDERED A FRIEND SO CLOSE TO THE HEART! And that is why, you, too, will die now."

"Have to… go…!" Poor panda at death's door now crawled back outside the Jade Palace with all the strength left inside, with Kay repeating over and over again, "Long live the Dragon Warrior…"

"D-Dad… T-Tigress…" Those were his final, painful whispers barely audible. Damaged warrior had now reached at the beginning of the Jade stairs but the end of his life.

"I wished… So long I wished… to let go of the past revenge… and love you like someone my own… A partner. A master. A friend. A brother… May your soul and that of the others rest in peace… May your name shine brightly as ever… May you live in the hearts forever… Long live the Dragon Warrior… Long live… the Dragon Warrior. . ." and that dark blade of death swept through the neck, tossing the head alone that fell in Tigress' legs.

The Furious Five and the Grandmaster Shifu, all were there in their normal states, but faces unable to be defined. With one roar of attack by the wild Master Tigress, every master stepped forth to the battle without knowing why… and so did the blade of death ran through. . .

Soon, there was all blood spilt over, staining the welcoming gates of the Jade Palace. Except Tigress and the dark demon, everyone was dead. It was his one arm squeezing the body to his heart while the other holding the blade to her back right to where her heart was. She was unconscious by his one sudden hit to the neck.

"Tigress," he mumbled slowly in her ears. "I know there is no place for me in the heaven or in Spirit Realm. I know I deserve hell, or perhaps even worse than that. But it would be a lot better to die with you than somewhere else…. Nothing was mine, nothing is mine, nothing will be mine. I was a child born out of hatred, and a child dying out of hatred. . .

"I don't ask of you to forgive me, or not to hate me slightly less. All I'm asking is to remember me in the next life if you can… and be happy with Po and your friends. . ."

His arm then forced the blade to first go through her heart and then that of his. . .

 _As my senses started to fade away, a final thought came to my mind:_

 _Is it the world that drags us to despair?_

 _Or our actions that make it happen so…?_

 _Whatever the reason… it's too late to find the answer…_

 _It's too late now. . ._

 **The End.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


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